Balance de humedad del suelo bajo dos tipos de cobertura vegetal relacionado con la evapotranspiración

Abstract

Water use by different vegetation types was assessed through the measurements of soil moisture variations within the 0–18 inches of depth from a grass association and a forest of secondary nature. Observations were made during April (dry season) and in May–August (wet season) on a field of the Turrialba Research and Training Center, Costa Rica. The analyses of the results show that soil moisture changes in both associations were very similar during the wet season but different during the dry season. Grass used more water than forest from the compared depth (0–18 inches) mainly for two reasons: 1) the higher water holding capacity found under grass, and 2) the root distribution of each association, being deeper than 18 inches for the forest.