Leaf area index of ground covers in a subtropical watershed

Leaf Area Index (LAI), an important structural variable descriptive of vegetation, is directly related to evapotranspiration and productivity. The objective of this work was to measure and analyze monthly LAI of different ground covers in a subtropical watershed. A field campaign to collect monthly LAI data was carried out during the year 2001, with a LAI-2000 (plant canopy analyzer) device, in sugarcane, pasture, corn, eucalypt, and riparian forest patches. Riparian forest presented a maximum LAI of 4.90; LAI values decreased as precipitation decreased, as it is a characteristic of this type of semideciduous vegetation. LAI for sugar cane presented the greatest variability throughout the year, related to plant characteristics and crop management in the study area. Results represent an initial step for the understanding of LAI dynamics in the study area and areas under similar conditions