Crop Canopies Impact Rainfall Distribution, Affecting Water Use Efficiency.
Crop canopy affects how rainfall is distributed, potentially changing how efficiently water is used. Researchers studied how different crops impact rainfall redistribution by measuring throughfall, stemflow, and canopy interception. They found that under different rainfall intensities, throughfall accounted for most of the rainfall, while stemflow and canopy interception were smaller. Corn had the highest throughfall percentage, soybean had the highest stemflow percentage, and millet had a balanced distribution. Overall, crop canopy significantly influences how rainfall is redistributed, with throughfall being the main component for most crops.