Instrumentation proposal for measuring rainfall interception by canopy of a grassland dominated by Paspalum quadrifarium Lam.

Abstract

Rainfall interception by vegetation is the process by which a fraction of the rainfall is retained and subsequently evaporates into the atmosphere while another reaches the ground through the aerial structures of the plants. Grasslands are biomes that occupy an area estimated at 3.5 billion ha, equal to a quarter of the continental land surface. Paspalum quadrifarium Lam. dominated grasslands constitute one of the grassland variants identified in the Flooding Pampa, currently occupying 70,000 ha. In this plain environment, exposed to periodic cycles of floods and droughts, it is essential to adjust the interception parameter. The objective of this work is to describe an instrumental design proposal to quantify the interception of precipitation by the canopy of P. quadrifarium Lam. In a plot closed to grazing, it is suggested to place water collectors 1.5 m above the surface level and at ground level, in two sectors differentiated by the greater or lesser density of the grassland. In addition, the proposal includes the installation of soil humidity and temperature sensors, as well as the use of a ceptometer to determine the interception of the canopy of Paspalum quadrifarium Lam. Carrying out an investigation with this instrumentation contemplating the spatio-temporal dynamics of the variables considered will allow performing an analysis that has not yet been addressed in any research work on grasslands.