Freitag, 8. April 2016

Blog entry 2



Blog entry 2:

Interception is close connected to transpiration. Generally, the intercepted water gets lost mostly because it doesn’t seep into the ground but stays at the surface of the leaf and gets evaporated. Therefore the water loss is due to the eventual evaporation.

Methods
The interception loss of irrigated water is usually measured by subtracting the rainfall below the canopy form the rainfall above the canopy (Lazerjan, 2015). Another way to quantify evaporation is to subtract transpiration from evapotranspiration (Odhiambo & Irmak, 2015) or to compare the run off and the seeped water with the original irrigated water. However, to measure the evaporation, it is important to ensure that the evaporation from the ground is excluded.
A method to measure the transpiration is the Li-6400XT of Licor (“LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System - LI-COR Environmental,” n.d.). The advantages is that the measurement is right on the leaf. This device is used for measuring photosynthesis and also the concentration of CO2 and the of transpiration. By subtracting transpiration rate from evapotranspiration rate, we get evaporation rate. This evaporation rate still consists of leaf and ground evaporation. 
Abbildung 1: Li-6400XT of Licor (www.licor.com)

A possibility way to measure the run off is to irrigate potters in two different ways. On way is from above upon the canopy and the other way is directly upon the ground of the potter. Eventually, the amount of water which flows through the potter into a vessel will be compared. The difference between these two methods is probably because of the evaporated water from the leaves. It is supposed that the vessels of on-ground-irrigated potters will catch more water. However, this methode should be implement with various periods of time of irrigation. It could make a difference whether the irrigation rate is small but during the whole day constant or whether the plants get irrigated only a few times a day with a bigger amount of water.

Results
The Li-6400XT gives us the amount of water containing in the air. The results of the run off-methode will show basically whether there is a difference of the amount of water or not. The evaporation and therefore the size of the difference is due to the different temperature and air humidity during the whole year probably very erratic. Measuring in just one week is too short to get results on a big scale.

Bibliography

Lazerjan, M. S. (2015). First attempt to measure rainfall canopy interception loss, throughfall, and stemflow in Juglans regia Linn and Cup. Sempervirens L. Var. fastigiata in the north of Iran. Laurier Institute for Water Sciences, 9, 60–78. Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/research/first-attempt-measure-rainfall-canopy-interception-loss-throughfall-stemflow-juglans-regia-linn-cup/?utm_source=desktop&utm_medium=1.16.1&utm_campaign=open_catalog&userDocumentId={34290f73-466d-413c-b069-bada6ac8d456}

LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthesis System - LI-COR Environmental. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2016, from https://www.licor.com/env/products/photosynthesis/LI-6400XT/

Odhiambo, L. O., & Irmak, S. (2015). Relative Evaporative Losses and Water Balance in Subsurface Drip and Center Pivot–Irrigated Soybean Fields. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 141(11), 04015020. http://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000907

Table of figures

Abbildung 1:Li-6400XT of Licor (www.licor.com). 1