This paper evaluated the applicability of four AAR (areal average rainfall) estimation methods in the mountainous Kamo River watershed by using measured monthly rainfall at nine stations within and near this watershed between 1998 and 2010. The four methods were (i) the arithmetic mean, (ii) the Thiessen polygon, (iii) the elevation regression and (iv) the combination of (ii) and (iii). Method (iv) was newly developed in this study. For methods (iii) and (iv), linear monthly relationship between elevation and monthly rainfall was applied and it was evaluated as useful for predicting rainfall even at a high elevation.Firstly, the applicability of the four AAR methods was evaluated by relationships between annual AAR (= P) and annual evapotranspiration ratio (Et/Ep). Annual evapotranspiration (Et) was obtained using the water balance equation by incorporating each AAR and measured discharge, and Ep was calculated using Penman equation. The low Et/Ep by methods (i) and (ii) was caused by the underestimation of AAR, which resulted in the underestimation of Et, mainly because these methods did not include the effect of larger rainfall in the higher elevation area. Methods (iii) and (iv) produced Et/Ep reasonably and demonstrated closer relationship to that in another mountainous watershed.Secondly, the applicability was evaluated by examining relationships between annual Ep/P and annual Et/P with a rational method of Fu (1981), where the watershed parameter w was optimized for each method. Methods (i) and (ii) produced relatively low w as a value of a mountainous watershed, which would be caused by the underestimation of annual AAR. Method (iii) produced relatively high w as a value of a mountainous watershed and R 2 was relatively low. As a result, the newly presented combination method (iv) was determined to be most applicable for AAR method in this mountainous watershed.
Several studies have suggested the spikelet fertility would be significantly damaged if the air temperature (Ta) was high at heading and flowering stage. In this study, we evaluated the effect of water ponding in two paddy fields to decrease leaf temperature (Tl) and panicle temperature (Tp) during the 2014 growing season. Within the first conventionally water managed paddy field (cultivar Akitakomachi), we set 1 m × 1 m experiment plot (Plot A1) from July 8th to August 24th, and water was put in 15 cm depth in the morning at 8:30. For expecting larger difference of leaf and panicle temperature between in and outside the plot, the plot was expended to 2 m × 2 m (Plot A2) from August 25th to September 8th, 2014, and water was put in 15 cm depth at noon. This method was also used in the plot B (2 m ×2 m) which was installed in another conventionally water managed field (cultivar Nikomaru) from September 9th to 30th, 2014. Tl and Tp were measured every two or three hours during daytime in every 10 cm canopy layer in and outside plots. In the first experimental paddy field, at largest, Tl and Tp in the plot were 4.3 ℃, 5.5 ℃ lower than Tl and Tp outside the plot, respectively. Tp was 6.6 ℃ lower than Ta under low relative humidity condition. In the second experimental paddy field, Tl and Tp in the plot were 3.6 ℃, 3.4 ℃ lower than Tl and Tp outside the plot, respectively. It revealed water ponding was a useful method to decrease leaf and panicle temperature under larger solar radiation, higher air temperature and lower relative humidity conditions at heading and flowering stage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.