Temporal behavior of soil water under ‘Caatinga’ and bare soil in Experimental Basin of Jatobá, Pernambuco

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the behavior of soil water content under two surface conditions,
‘Caatinga’ and bare soil, in two experimental plots located in Experimental Basin of Jatobá, in the municipality
of Pesqueira, semiarid region in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Soil moisture data were collected by a neutron
probe device. In the study of soil moisture it was verified that there was variation in soil moisture content for the
two surface conditions between dry and rainy periods. Evapotranspiration enhanced the soil moisture decrease
for the natural cover condition in the dry season, reducing to values below the soil moisture in bare soil condition.
Soil moisture is not recovered when the first events of rain occur subsequent to the period of severe drought. In
the rainy season the soil moisture condition in the natural cover appears higher than in the bare soil.