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The Water Balance in Agricultural and Natural Systems

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Abstract

The complete and direct water balance for agricultural and natural systems is presented in detail, discussing all components: rainfall, irrigation, runoff, evapotranspiration, drainage below the root zone, and, finally, the changes of soil water content as a function of depth and time close the balance. Evaluation of soil erosion is presented in conjunction with the discussion of runoff. Other methodologies to obtain the water balance are also discussed, like those based mainly on meteorological data. It is shown that the water balance is a fundamental tool for water management practices. At the end of the chapter, a holistic view of the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere System is presented based on the knowledge of the water balance components.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura and Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiróz”, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Klaus Reichardt

  2. Rural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agronomy, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luís Carlos Timm

Authors
  1. Klaus Reichardt
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  2. Luís Carlos Timm
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Reichardt, K., Timm, L.C. (2020). The Water Balance in Agricultural and Natural Systems. In: Soil, Plant and Atmosphere. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19322-5_15

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