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With the purpose of evaluating the effect of vacuum events on the flow rate of different commercial driplines commonly used in subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), an indoor experiment was carried out with sugar cane crop planted in vases. The treatments consisted of 14 drip models from different manufactures, grouped in two categories: non-compensating (7 models) and selfcompensating (7 models), submitted to 5 vacuum levels artificially generated (vacuum pump): -13, - 20, -26, -53 and -80 kPa. In order to quantify the individual flow rate of the drippers analyzed, an inductive magnetic flow meter was used. The obtained results showed the following conclusions : 1. the outstanding difference in the flow rate performance among emitter models, after vacuum occurrence in lateral lines; 2. the better flow rate performance of conventional emitters (noncompensating) compared to self-compensating models; 3. for non-compensating emitters higher levels of flow rate reduction were observed in the lower levels of vacuum (-13 and -20 kPa), while for the self-compensating models it was opposite ; 4. flow rate reduction showed an irreversible character for non-compensanting emitters (none self-cleaning mechanism) and a temporary character for self-compensating models.