Abstract:
The influence of climatic conditions of precipitation and
evapotranspiration exercise great control on soil water budget.
This is fundamental to crop production and hydrological
processes. This study assessed the temporal variability of soil
moisture condition of Ibadan, Nigeria using the water budget
approach. Specifically the study analyzed the climatic variables of
monthly rainfall and means monthly air temperature, computed
the mean monthly evapotranspiration values, plots the water
budget graph, and discussed the implications of the observed
seasonal trend in water budget condition on agricultural activities
and hydrological processes. Monthly rainfall and mean monthly
air temperature data used were collected from the archives of the
Nigeria meteorological agency for the period 2008-2020. Monthly
potential evapotranspiration data used in the study was estimated
from the mean monthly air temperature data. The monthly
rainfall data and the monthly evapotranspiration data were used
to plot the water budget graph. Results revealed temporal
variability in soil moisture condition. Water deficit condition was
observed between November and April while water surplus
condition was observed between May and October. The highest
water surplus condition was observed in September (111.9mm)
while the highest deficit condition (-125.64mm) was observed in
December. The month of October recorded the lowest water
surplus condition (41.30mm) while the month of April recorded
the lowest water deficit condition (-10.10mm). The implications of
the observed seasonal variation in soil moisture status on
agricultural activities and hydrological processes were discussed.
