Evaluation of throughfall in coffee cultivation in a representative basin in the State of Pernambuco

Abstract

Interception loss can be estimated by the difference between gross rainfall and rainfall that effectively reaches the soil, whereas most of the rainfall that reaches the soil is derived from throughfall. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the Conilon coffee crop on the amount of rainfall that reaches on the soil in Tapacurá Basin, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The study was performed at the Experimental Station of Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco - IPA, situated in Tapacurá Basin. The measurements were performed with handmade rain gauges, built with PVC tubes of 15 cm diameter. One rain gauge to measure the gross rainfall and nine rain gauges to measure the throughfall, three per plant, during the period from May 2011 to August 2012. The recorded average through fall during the study period was 960.5 mm, corresponding to 69% of the gross rainfall, and this amount was different when considered different classes of rainfall. The linear model presented the best fit for rainfall events of high magnitude, while the potential model fitted better in rainfall events of low magnitude. The observed throughfall in the Conilon coffee cultivation shows a significant influence that an agricultural cultivation of midsize can have on the amount of rainfall that reaches the soil.