Agricultural exploration on underground dams

Abstract

Underground dams are a water resource alternative for storage of rain water on the soil profile, allowing its use through receding agriculture and/or subirrigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical characteristics of the soil and electrical conductivity of the water stored in the reservoir of each dam after eight years of management, the production of fruits and cowpeas, and the costs of dams and crops. In 1982, four underground dams were constructed where maize, cowpeas and sorghum were cropped, at the Experimental Station of Embrapa-CPATSA, Petrolina, PE, Brazil. In 1987, perennial crops were introduced: mango, soursop, lemon, guava and acerola. After eight years of underground dams management, the data showed low risk of salinity, increased clay content on soil due to sedimentation and no density variation. The yields of 3,000, 2,000, 3,000, 2.000, 800 and 578 kg/ha, respectively, of mango, soursop, lemon, guava, acerola and cowpeas, associated with low cost and easy management of dams recommend them as a viable alternative for crop production in semi-arid regions.