Infiltrometer ring (IAC) has been the most used way for the soil intake rate determination, although the best result comes from the technique using no pressure head, like in rainfall simulator, for application in sprinkler irrigation. The objective of this work was the evaluation of a single ring infiltrometer (ICU) comparing its data with those from an IAC and rainfall simulator. The evaluation was done in two types of soils, Dystrophic Dusky Red Latosol and Cambisol, using an ICU with diameter of 0.20 m and 0.50 m high, with hydraulic heads varying from 0.03 m to 0.30 m with intervals of 0.03 m and three repetitions. It was used, for comparison, an IAC with diameters of 0.30 m and 0.90 m, with three replications and hydraulic heads of 0.05 m and 0.10 m. The rainfall simulator utilized had an area of 1.0 m² with two sprinklers. It was observed that, the elevation of hydraulic head in the ICU promoted an increase in the water flow into the soil, in a polynomial model, for both soils. The IAC may underestimate or upperestimate the real values of final intake rate, depending on the soil and the hydraulic head. The soil water intake rate can be estimate, with no pressure head, using an ICU with a desired pressure since a correction factor is applied according to the soil type.
infiltrometer; intake rate; irrigation
