Rainfall partitioning in important multipurpose tree species of Himalayan foothills

Rainfall partitioning parameters viz., throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF) and interception losses (I) are measured for consideration as a component in the water balance of a plant-soil complex. An experiment was conducted to study the rainfall partitioning in five important multipurpose tree species viz., Anthocephalus cadamba, Melia azedarach, Tectona grandis, Terminalia bellirica and Quercus leucotrichophora. The annual gross rainfall during the study period was 1221.5 mm. The highest TF and SF were recorded in T. bellirica and A. cadamba, respectively which was 81.1 and 10.1% of gross rainfall respectively. While, the highest and lowest interception was observed in T. grandis and T. bellirica, respectively which was 16.0 and 9.5% of gross rainfall respectively. Results clearly show that TF, SF and I loss varies with tree species type and contributes a significant proportion of incident rainfall towards crop water balance.