@article{Seldon_Snyder_Harmsen_Van Bloem_2021, title={Water requirements for growth and survival of Swietenia macrophylla and Tabebuia heterophylla juvenile trees in relation to water production capacity of dew condensers}, volume={105}, url={https://revistas.upr.edu/index.php/jaupr/article/view/20073}, DOI={10.46429/jaupr.v105i2.20073}, abstractNote={<p>Drought mortality of juvenile trees is a major cause for failure of<br />reforestation projects. Portable devices such as passive radiative dew condensers can often provide 0.15 L/day of water in situ, possibly sufficient for tree survival until roots can access groundwater, allowing self-sustainability. To evaluate growth and survivability of juvenile trees of <em>Tabebuia heterophylla</em> Britton and <em>Swietenia macrophylla</em> King under such low water amounts, juvenile trees received approximately 0.033, 0.067, 0.134, 0.201 and 0.268 L/tree/day, representing fractions (relative evapotranspiration or RET) of 0.125, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 of the evapotranspiration demand (ET<sub>o</sub>). The experiment lasted 60 days for S. macrophylla and 90 days for <em>T. </em><em>heterophylla</em>. All <em>T. heterophylla</em> juvenile trees survived even at the lowest irrigation rate. However, <em>S. macrophylla</em> juvenile trees began dying at RET < 0.5, with only 60 percent surviving at RET = 0.25 (0.067 L/day) and 100 percent<br />mortality occurring at RET = 0.125 (0.033 L/day). Water requirements of 0.134 L/day, necessary for full survival of both species, were within the typical production capacity of 1-m<sup>2</sup> dew condensers. However, a greater safety factor is obtained using drought tolerant species such as <em>T. heterophylla</em>, which can survive under water application rates as low as 0.03 L/day.</p>}, number={2}, journal={The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico}, author={Seldon, Jodelin and Snyder, Víctor A. and Harmsen, Eric and Van Bloem, Skip J.}, year={2021}, month={Oct.}, pages={143–162} }