Water Balance and Soil Moisture Deficit in Diferent Vegetation Units.

What is it about?

In this study was analyzed the annual and monthly water balance (WBc) and the soil moisture deficit (Ds) for different vegetation units; based on limited data and field measurements (soil samples). To calculate crop evapotranspiration (ETc) the Blaney–Criddle method was applied, and the specific crop factor (Kc) included, because only temperature (T) and precipitation (P) data were available. By means of the soil samples the water retention capacity (RC) of the different soil types present in the study area was estimated, which, in combination with WBc, provided reliable results respective to water surpluses or deficits for the different vegetation units. Hence, it could be concluded that the prevailing climate conditions in semiarid regions cannot provide the necessary water for agricultural practices, for this reason irrigation is essential. The necessary water can be supplied by areas coved by natural vegetation, but these areas are endangered due to population growth and the associated land use changes.

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Why is it important?

Our study describes a procedure to follow, for territories with limited or scarce resources, that require this key information for sustainable agricultural production.

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