ABSTRACT:
Evapotranspiration (ET) from saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis Lour) varies with weather factors as well as with stand density and water availability. In California, ET in July for a unit ground area of saltcedar in large drums varied from 2 millimeters per day in sparse stands, to 16 millimeters per day in dense stands; ET declined and diffusive resistance increased when saltcedar plants were subjected to stress brought on by low soil water availability and/or high evaporative demand. In a natural salt-cedar stand in New Mexico, ET in June varied from 3 millimeters to 11 millimeters per day, depending upon weather and plant density. Extrapolation of experimental transpiration data to field sites must, therefore, be done carefully when assessing irrecoverable ET losses.
Footnotes
David C. Davenport is an associate research water scientist, Paul E. Martin is a staff research associate, and Robert M. Hagan is a professor of water science in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, 95616. This work was supported in part by funds from the Office of Water Research and Technology, U.S. Department of the Interior, as authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended.
- Copyright 1982 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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