Modelagem da evapotranspiração em plantios de eucalipto em fase inicial de desenvolvimento com cobertura parcial do solo

Abstract

Species of the gender Eucalyptus, whose characteristics as fast growth and capacity of resisting to the water stress, they are used in wide climbs in the establishment of industrial forests in several countries, among which ones, highlights Brazil with more than 3 million planted hectares. The tropical and subtropical climate in most of the Brazilian territory allows an uninterrupted growth and, consequently, a fast biomass accumulation. It is known that the growth and the development of the vegetables is consequence of several physiologic processes, which are controlled by the environmental conditions and characteristic genetics of each vegetable species. Therefore, for best to understand the growth, the development and the impact hydrology of an eucalyptus plantation, it is done necessary to know the factors that control the use of the water. Several environmental factors influence the opening and the closing stomatic, determining larger or smaller transfer of water vapour for the atmosphere. Among these, they highlight the levels of humidity of the soil, the tenor of humidity of the air, solar radiation, temperature of the air and vapour pressure deficit. Specifically, plants with initial age of development present discontinuity in the covering of the soil, being these subject isolated plants the largest interaction with the atmosphere, tending to present larger exhibition of the canopy to the wind and the solar radiation, for that, the given aerodynamic treatment the those plants should be different in relation to plants in adult age, with total covering of the soil. Usually, the growth models consider in the estimate of the conductance of surface of the water vapour the canopy as a leaf big, only and continuous (theory of "Big Leaf"). This approach is not adapted in the initial stage of development of forests. This age in relation to the another have a great importance, once in that period the plants present larger growth rate, once the biomass earnings is directly related to the evapotranspiration processes (loss of water vapour) and photosynthesis (earnings of CO2). In this context, the objective of this study was to model the evapotranspiration for eucalyptus plants in initial phase of development. The experimental site is located in an area belonging to Aracruz Celulose in city of Aracruz, state of Espírito Santo. The meteorological data, solar radiation, temperature of the air, relative humidity, speed of the wind and precipitation were collected in a tower of 38 m of located height among four trees. The methodology used in the modelling of the evapotranspiration was based in the work of Angelocci (1996), when the same in his study made estimates for the evapotranspiration of apple trees in orchards. For the comparison of the results, he esteemed the evapotranspiration by the method of the Bowen Ration for being this a method that describes the relationship soil- plant-atmosphere well. After the analysis of the results for the whole studied period, it verified that to the initial stage of development of the eucalyptus, the developed model showed efficient in the estimate of the evapotranspiration.