Review on Dew Process and Its Contribution in Maize Water Requirement at Nalohou (Northern Benin)

Abstract

Climate change is a scientific issue of global interest and Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world strongly affected by its consequences in water resources for agriculture. Adaptation to climate change is one of the fundamental measures for human beings. Therefore, extensive researches on dew process have been carried out worldwide. Based on articles and relevant documents on the subject, this paper reviews the latest researches achievement in several domains of science, including measurements technics and dew possible contribution in plants water requirement satisfaction. A case study in Benin climate (West Africa) compares the probable amount of dew that can be harvested by maize canopy as water during the main stages of its growth cycle. Evaluation of dew amount and maize water requirements are done using the Penman-Monteith equation. The theoretical results show that dew can contribute for about 9 to 10% in the IZEE-W-SR-(ODE-TUWE) corn variety’s water requirements. So, future researches on dew can be performed in arid and semi-arid areas as alternative water for agriculture.