Plastic film mulches have the potential to be used in papaya production, mainly aiming to reduce water application in semi-arid regions. However, there is a lack of technical information and the need to introduce mulching practices in papaya orchards. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of plastic film mulch and irrigation depths on soil water availability (SWA), stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, and agronomic traits of papaya trees. The study was carried out during 2018 and 2019 in Jaíba city, located northern Minas Gerais state, in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The experiment was a split plot design, with soil cover conditions assigned to the plots (bare soil and mulched soil) and water replenishment levels to subplots (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 125% of crop evapotranspiration [ETc]). Plants were drip irrigated with water replenishments based on climate data. Soil moisture was measured along time and agronomic and physiological characteristics of papaya trees, as well. Water tensions were higher in treatments with lower water replenishments. Results showed that the increase in irrigation depth favors leaf-area growth rate, stomatal conductance, yield, and water footprint of papaya. The use of mulch together with the increase in water replenishment levels contributes for maintenance of the soil water content between the upper limit of SWA and 75%SWA. The use black plastic mulching with drip irrigation in medium-textured soil saves up to 152 L of water per Kg of fruit, and increase productivity up to 34% by replenishing the crop evapotranspiration every irrigation event. The use of black plastic as ground cover is technically feasible for keeping soil water availability above 75% by irrigation supply of at least 75% of ETc on sand-clay-loam soil.

塑料薄膜覆盖物具有用于木瓜生产的潜力，主要目的是减少半干旱地区的用水量。然而，缺乏技术信息并且需要在木瓜果园中引入覆盖实践。这项工作的目的是评估地膜覆盖和灌溉深度对木瓜的土壤水分利用率 (SWA)、气孔导度、叶温和农艺性状的影响。该研究于 2018 年和 2019 年在巴西半干旱地区米纳斯吉拉斯州北部的贾伊巴市进行。该实验是一个裂区设计，土壤覆盖条件分配给地块（裸土和覆盖土壤）和补水子地块的水平（作物蒸散量 [ETc] 的 25%、50%、75%、100% 和 125%）。根据气候数据，对植物进行滴灌补水。土壤水分随时间以及番木瓜的农艺和生理特征进行了测量。在补水量较低的处理中水张力较高。结果表明，灌溉深度的增加有利于木瓜的叶面积生长速度、气孔导度、产量和水足迹。使用覆盖物以及增加补水水平有助于维持土壤含水量在 SWA 上限和 75%SWA 之间。在中等质地土壤中使用黑色塑料覆盖和滴灌，每公斤水果可节省高达 152 升的水，并通过在每次灌溉事件中补充作物的蒸发蒸腾，将生产力提高 34%。使用黑色塑料作为地被植物在技术上是可行的，可通过在砂粘土土壤上灌溉至少 75% 的 ETc 来保持土壤水的可用性在 75% 以上。