Evaluar el requerimiento hídrico de Alnus acuminata (aliso) en etapa de vivero bajo condiciones controladas en la estación experimental Tunshi, Espoch. cantón Riobamba, provincia de Chimborazo.

Abstract

This research consisted on evaluating the water requirement of alder (Alnus acuminata), in nursery stage under controlled conditions, at Tunshi Experimental Station of the ESPOCH, Riobamba canton, province of Chimborazo. For the trial, 500 alder seeds collected directly from trees of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo were used, the seeds were collected when they presented a yellowish green coloration which is when they present greater germination power and no pre-germination treatment was performed; for data collection a randomized complete block design (DBCA) was performed in which three treatments based on drip irrigation were distributed, being these: T1, T2 and T3 representing 100, 75 and 50 % of the field capacity of the substrate, respectively; and three replications; the variables evaluated in the course of the research were: the percentage of alder plants' prostration, their height, root length, diameter, stomatal conductivity, water potential, relative water content in leaves, dry matter, crop coefficient and crop evapotranspiration; the irrigation laminae were established by empirical calculation making use of the class A evaporimeter tank. Crop coefficients were: 0.4, 0.85, 0.76 and 0.24 (initial, development, intermediate and final stages); crop evapotranspiration reached values of 1.43, 3.13, 1.85 and 0.95 mm/day, respectively; averages were obtained for: height of 48.43 cm, diameter at collar height of 5.3 mm, stomatal conductivity of 282.6 mmol/ms, relative water content of 81.1%. It was concluded that, the higher the percentage of water at field capacity, the higher performance and it is recommended to carry out more studies of water percentages at field capacity in relation to Alnus acuminata.