Present study aimed to investigate the temporal variability of surface water content in soil by time domain reflectometry (TDR), as consequence of precipitation characteristics of Pernambuco semiarid, studying such dynamics under different types of the soil cover. The study was conducted in a slope of a representative catchment, in a Typic Hapludalf soil, where four experimental plots were installed with two TDR probes for soil moisture investigation as well as monitoring the runoff. Treatments were natural cover (CN), bare soil (SD), cactus (P) and microdams associated with mulch (B + CM). From the results obtained during a period with erosive rainfall, it was found that soil moisture observed during the experimental period showed high variability in time, related to different types of coverage and soil properties. Mulching was the most appropriate conservation practice for maintaining soil moisture.
soil water content; precipitation; surface conditions; temporal variability; REHISA
