En la producción de alimentos el agua constituye un factor limitante; por ello, es preciso alcanzar la máxima eficiencia del uso de este recurso en los sistemas agrícolas. Se evaluó la eficiencia del uso de agua del riego por goteo superficial y subsuperficial en el cultivo de Zea mays L. Se cultivaron 1.600 m2 de maíz híbrido duro, con cuatro tratamientos: riego por goteo superficial (T1, testigo) y subsuperficial a 10 (T2), 20 (T3) y 30 (T4) cm de profundidad, con cuatro repeticiones. En un diseño en bloques al azar, cada unidad experimental tuvo 100 m2 (10 x 10 m). Se realizó un análisis de varianza y comparación de medias mediante la prueba de Tukey. Se evaluó el rendimiento, eficiencia del uso del agua (EUA), frecuencia, tiempo y lámina de riego, y diámetro del bulbo humedecido. Hubo diferencias estadísticas para todas las variables evaluadas (p<0,01), excepto para la lámina de agua por riego por efecto de los tratamientos. El rendimiento (10.263 kg/ha), EUA (7,92 kg/m3) y diámetro (0,145 m) del bulbo húmedo fueron mayores en T3 y T4; la frecuencia de riego (3,6 días) y la lámina total de agua fue menor en T3 y T4 (129 mm); el tiempo total de riego fue menor en T4 (34,08 h). El riego por goteo subsuperficial a 20 y 30 cm de profundidad presentó la mayor eficiencia.

To evaluate the effect of surface and subsurface drip irrigation on the growth and yield of corn, a trial was carried out at the Technical University of Machala-Ecuador, 1,600 m2 of hybrid corn (PIONEER 30K75) were cultivated to apply the treatments: irrigation by surface and subsurface drip at 10, 20 and 30 cm depth. The seed was sown in August 2019 at 80 cm between rows and 40 cm between plants, two seeds per point, with a plant density of 62,500 plants.ha-1. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four treatments and four repetitions. Plant height, fresh and dry biomass of leaves, stalks, and roots, biomass of 100 dry kernels, and yield of dry kernel were evaluated. The highest plant height and biomass of 100 dry kernels was 2.79 m, and 39.08 g, which corresponded to the subsurface drip irrigation treatment at a depth of 30 cm; the highest fresh and dry biomass of leaves, 13,631.3 kg.ha-1 and 3,800 kg.ha-1 respectively, as well as the highest yield of dry kernel 10,337.5 kg.ha-1 was for the subsurface drip irrigation treatment at 20 cm depth. The highest fresh and dry biomass of stalks 32,768.8 kg.ha-1 and 10,381.3 kg.ha-1, and the fresh and dry biomass of roots of 6,381.3 kg.ha-1 and 2,150 kg.ha-1, corresponded to the superficial drip irrigation treatment. With drip irrigation, at 20 and 30 cm depth, higher growth and yield were obtained.

Agriculture is the economic sector that consumes around 70 % of the total water extracted globally, considering itself a victim of its own inefficiency. The present work was oriented to look for irrigation alternatives that allow a greater productivity of water. The trial was carried out at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Technical University of Machala, Ecuador. The amount of water applied to the corn crop through furrow and drip irrigation was evaluated. The treatments were: furrow irrigation, superficial drip irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation at 20 cm. The trial had a surface area of 450 m2, in a completely randomized block experimental design with three treatments and three repetitions. The control of the irrigation regime was carried out through tensiometers installed for each treatment. The volume of water applied and the dry grain yield in irrigation by furrows was 3,484 m3.ha-1 and 9,175 kg.ha-1, for surface drip irrigation of 1,452 m3.ha-1 and 10,200 kg.ha-1, and for subsurface drip irrigation it was 1,237 m3.ha-1 and 10,181.2 kg.ha-1. The water productivity for the furrow irrigation treatment was 2.63 kg.m-3, for surface drip irrigation it was 7.02 kg.m-3 and for subsurface drip irrigation at 20 cm it was 8.23 kg.m-3 being the highest productivity.