Vol. 10, Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
Duda Balas and Devrajsinh Thakor

Abstract:
Precipitation plays vital role in hydrological cycle. Precipitation can infiltrate into soils, become surface runoff and/or can be intercepted by vegetation. Rainfall interception by vegetation is an important factor in hydrological models, accounting even for major proportions of total precipitation. Reliable quantitative estimation of such losses thus remains a big challenge for hydrologists and therefore required to have some realistic observed results. The interaction between vegetation and rainfall is of considerable significance from physiological, ecological, and hydrological points of view. In any of the hydrological model application the accuracy of prediction largely depends upon the precision with which the precipitation loss functions are quantified. The construction and fabrication of rainfall simulator was completed in the College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology, Godhra. Present study was undertaken to develop a simple, economical and adjustable rainfall simulator of 5 m (16.40 ft) vertical height and 1.5 m (4.92 ft) horizontal length to conceive rainfall, runoff and losses (interception, infiltration, evaporation etc.) with elapsed time. Study revealed that initiation of runoff was few minutes later for all trees due to initial abstractions and equilibrium attained in between 19 to 24 minutes after starting of artificial rainfall. Trees having extensive canopy area and longer in height require more time compare to limited canopy area and shorter in height to attained runoff equilibrium.