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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Evapotranspiration is an important process in the water cycle because it is responsible for 15% of the atmosphere s water vapor. Without that input of water vapor, clouds could not form, and precipitation would never fall. It is the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.
Now, in an era when impending water scarcity has become a legitimate concern, irrigating to meet evapotranspiration while avoiding overirrigation with precious available water will take informed judgement.
Researchers Tamara Wynne and Dale Devitt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, conducted a study designed to quantify water usage of landscape plants while irrigating to meet evapotranspiration to avoid a drainage component.