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ABSTRACT:The subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) allows improving the water use efficiency due to the application of water and nutrients in the root zone. The aim of this study was to estimate the lateral root distribution as from the planting rows of two sugarcane cultivars fertigated by SDI system in the second ratoon, using auger method. The field experiment was carried out in Campinas/SP/Brazil, in clay soil, with IACSP95-5000 and IACSP94-2101 cultivars, during the second ratoon and after two fertigation cycles. It was used the auger method to evaluate the lateral root distribution as from the planting rows for both cultivars at 360 days after harvest. The samples were collected at six distances from the planting row, The maximum MDR value observed was 1.64 and 1.43 g dm -3 for IACSP95-5000 and IACSP94-2101, respectively. KEYWORDS:Root dry mass, auger method, ratoon. PALAVRAS-CHAVE:Massa seca radicular, trado de caneca, cana-soca.