Inadequate water application is one of the reasons of poor initial plant stand for irrigated maize. This problem is more serious in some soils with superficial crusting after sprinkler irrigation or rainfall. The effect of different water management criteria on maize emergence was evaluated in three soils: Dark-Red Latosol (LE), in Sete Lagoas, and Yellow-Red Latosol (LV) and Alluvial soil, in Janaúba, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The treatments were based on different strategies for supplying water to soil. A combination of irrigation frequencies (one, two, tree, six or 12 days) with or without irrigation to bring the 0.20 m top layer soil to field capacity (FC) and with or without irrigation prior to sowing (only on alluvial soil) were used. The irrigation management strategy which established irrigation at sowing and after 12 days, negatively, affected the percentual of maize emergence, as were the case for LE (74%) and for LV (43%). In the case of alluvial soil, the criterion which provided the best performance for maize emergence (82%) was daily irrigation after planting which brought the soil from 0 to 0.20 m layer to FC, two days prior to sowing.
irrigation management; sprinkler irrigation; maize emergence (outgrowth); initial stand; Latosol; Alluvial soil