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Title: Evapotranspiration of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) cultivated at two plantation sites in Southeast Asia

Journal Article · · Water Resources Research
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017755· OSTI ID:1255374
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [6];  [6];  [9]
  1. Univ. of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI (United States); Nagoya Univ. (Japan)
  2. Univ. of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI (United States)
  3. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
  4. Nagoya Univ. (Japan)
  5. Univ. of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI (United States); Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan)
  6. Cambodian Rubber Research Inst., Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
  7. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  8. East-West Center, Honolulu, HI (United States)
  9. Kasetsart Univ., Bangkok (Thailand)

The expansion of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) cultivation to higher latitudes and higher elevations in southeast Asia is part of a dramatic shift in the direction of rural land cover change in the region toward more tree covered landscapes. To investigate the possible effects of increasing rubber cultivation in the region on ecosystem services including water cycling, eddy covariance towers were established to measure ecosystem fluxes within two rubber plantations, one each in Bueng Kan, northeastern Thailand, and Kampong Cham, central Cambodia. The results show that evapotranspiration (ET) at both sites is strongly related to variations in available energy and leaf area, and moderately controlled by soil moisture. Measured mean annual ET was 1128 and 1272 mm for the Thailand and Cambodia sites, respectively. After adjustment for energy closure, mean annual was estimated to be 1211 and 1459 mm yr at the Thailand and Cambodia sites, respectively. Based on these estimates and that of another site in Xishuangbanna, southwestern China, it appears that of rubber is higher than that of other tree dominated land covers in the region, including forest. While measurements by others in non rubber tropical ecosystems indicate that at high net radiation sites is at most only slightly higher than for sites with lower net radiation, mean annual rubber increases strongl with increasing net radiation across the three available rubber plantation observation sites. With the continued expansion of tree dominated land covers, including rubber cultivation, in southeast Asia, the possible association between commercially viable, fast growing tree crop species Giambelluca et al. Evapotranspiration of rubber (Havea brasiliensis) cultivated at two sites in southeast Asia and their relatively high water use raises concerns about potential effects on water and food security.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Univ. of Singapore (NUS); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan; Asia‐Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830; NNG04GH59G; NNX08AL90G; R‐109‐000‐092‐133; ARCP2008‐01CMY
OSTI ID:
1255374
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-106078; 830403000
Journal Information:
Water Resources Research, Vol. 52, Issue 2; ISSN 0043-1397
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 50 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Plant source water apportionment using stable isotopes: A comparison of simple linear, two-compartment mixing model approaches journal July 2017
Converting forests into rubber plantations weakened the soil CH 4 sink in tropical uplands journal August 2019
Understanding deep roots and their functions in ecosystems: an advocacy for more unconventional research journal July 2016
Oil Palm and Rubber Tree Water Use Patterns: Effects of Topography and Flooding journal April 2017
Assessing Hydrological Ecosystem Services in a Rubber-Dominated Watershed under Scenarios of Land Use and Climate Change journal February 2019
Expanding Rubber Plantations in Southern China: Evidence for Hydrological Impacts journal March 2019