Land imprinter hydrological impacts for grasslands in a watershed with natural rainfall and rainfall simulation

• Published in: Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua Vol. 14; no. 6; pp. 275 - 312
• Main Authors: Mauricio-Pérez, Azucelli Maythe, Sánchez-Cohen, Ignacio, Pedroza-Sandoval, Aurelio, Velásquez-Valle, Miguel Agustín
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Jiutepec Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia de Agua 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Arid lands; Arid zones; Cattle; Cenchrus ciliaris; Climate change; Grasses; Grasslands; Hydrology; Natural resources; Plant cover; Precipitation; Rain; Rain water; Rainfall; Rivers; Runoff; Sea level; Sediment; Sediments; Simulators; Soil erosion; Soils; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Watersheds; Mexico
• ISSN: 0187-8336; 2007-2422
• DOI: 10.24850/j-tyca-14-06-08

The research was carried out in Hydrological Region 36 (Nazas-Aguanaval rivers), arid land in northern Mexico. In 2017, part of the watershed was altered during the establishment of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) with the land imprinter (AR). The objective of this research was to propose a methodological framework to integrate and analyze the experimental information of a watershed in arid lands. The impact of the AR was measured by using an in situ rainfall simulator in the watershed area. As a result, the use of AR caused a delay in the onset of runoff. The production of runoff was lower in the plot under conditions of passage in the soil of the AR, with an average production of 0.000004 m3s-1, while the average production of runoff in the plots under natural conditions (control) was 0.000016 m3s-1. Additionally, the production of sediments in the plot with AR passage was significantly higher in the production of sediments with an average value of 833 mgl-1, while in the experimental plot under natural conditions, the average production of sediments was 470 mgl-1. It is inferred that the microdepressions captured the rainwater exerting greater retention of the liquid in the soil, which reduced the runoff and increased the infiltration of water in the watershed. The results show that, due to its size, the watershed (158.87 ha) is very sensitive to changes in precipitation regimes and vegetation cover.