Efectos de la variación del nivel de luz y lluvia en el microclima de parcelas experimentales cultivadas con Kikuyo (Pennisetum clandestinum) y Rye grass (Lolium multiflorum) en el cantón Guachapala de la provincia del Azuay

Abstract

In the province of Azuay, most pasture production systems are found as monocultures. These production systems may present vulnerability to extreme precipitation events or frost by radiation. Events that, both in recurrence and in intensity, could be increased due to phenomena such as climate change, putting at risk the sustainability of livestock activities. Before this, and to reduce the vulnerability of traditional production systems, it is necessary to adopt new production schemes such as forestpasturel systems. In this line, with the current project were analyzed the effects of different levels of light and rain, given as result two types of pasture. For this, through structures specially designed for the exclusion of light and rain, by artificial way, the microclimate of parcels 2x2m cultivated with: kikuyo (Pennisetum clandestinum) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), was artificially altered. Sixty parcels were analyzed, in which 11 treatments related to different levels of light exclusion (30, 50 and 80%) and rainfall (25 and 50%) were tested, to be compared with natural parcels, in which there was no exclusion of any kind. Both in the natural parcels and in the treatments, various meteorological, physical and biological parameters as: environmental temperature, relative humidity, photosynthetically active radiation, humidity and soil temperature, and stomatal conductance were monitored. Our results show that, stomatal conductance shows significant differences in the first stage of physiological maturity, second cut for both rye grass and kikuyo with exclusion of rain T10-0, T50-25, y T90-50; the temperature and humidity of the soil showed significant values in the different treatments; the exclusion of light turned out to be a determining factor for these two variables. The temperature in the presence of light exclusion of 80% (T280-0) decreased to 5 ° C in comparison to normal environmental conditions (T10-0), with a significance value of 0.048; the soil humidity varied from 0.32 m3_m-3 in 80% (T280-0) of light exclusion in comparison to 0.28 m3_m-3 under normal conditions (T10-0), with a value of significance 2e-16; this is because the presence of shade prevents an accelerated loss of water stored in the parcel; the environmental temperature and relative humidity did not show significant differences between the treatments