Abstract:
The present paper discusses the amount of water lost by the soil through the transpiration of coffee plants and shade trees in shaded coffee plantation. All methods and techniques employed in the study of transpiration of the shade tree Inga edulis Mart, were exactly the same as those described in a paper recently published (4). It was determined previously (3) that a shaded coffee plant receiving 55% of full sunlight transpired 80% as much as when in 100% full sunlight. The amount of water transpired by a coffee plant was calculated by taking 80% of the amount transpired in unshaded plantation (4). Comparing the water lost by transpiration of shaded coffee plants and shade trees with the average rainfall in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, it is seen that from April to September the amount of water transpired exceeds the average rainfall. This finding seems to agree with our previous conclusion (1, 2, 5) that water competition between shade trees and coffee plants is the factor that controls the success of growing coffee under shade in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The highest daily rate of transpiration encountered, for Inga edvlis was 36.7 milligrams per square decimeter per minute. The average daily transpiration was found to be 9.90 grams per square decimeter per day. The total amount of water transpired by an Inga tree was calculated to be 71,140 liters per plant per year. Since the plants submited to the experiment did not suffer a water shortage at any time, the present results show the approximate amount of water lost by the Inga tree and shaded coffee plant under optimal soil-water conditions.
