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Partitioning of rainfall in a cocoa ( Theobroma cacao lour.) plantation
Author(s) -
Augusto Ricardo,
De Miranda Calheiros
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.3360080407
Subject(s) - throughfall , theobroma , stemflow , interception , canopy , canopy interception , environmental science , agroforestry , litter , forestry , sterculiaceae , agronomy , geography , horticulture , botany , biology , ecology
To consolidate knowledge of some aspects of the partitioning of incident rainfall into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss, a study was made in a typical cocoa ( Theobroma cacao Lour.) plantation in south‐east Bahia, Brazil. The samples were collected, on a per shower basis, from locations at different levels in the canopy over a period of two and a half years. During the period studied, of the amount of incident rainfall reaching the cocoa plantation, on average 16% was retained by shelter trees, 19% by cocoa trees and 9% by the ground litter. Losses due to interception caused some variations and were mainly regulated by temporal variations and by the amount and intensity of rainfall in the plantation. The amount of rainfall intercepted, as determined in this study, is comparable with other tropical stands, but important differences do exist and are believed to be influenced by the previous level of moisture availability within the cocoa plantation.