The climate is tropical, with two well-definedseasons, dry (August to January, mean precip-itation 27.2 mm/month) and rainy (Februaryto July, mean precipitation 211.7 mm/ month).The temperature ranges from 23.5º C to 31.5ºC, with an annual mean of 27.0º C (Ibama2006). The soil is shallow and provides littlewater retention. Native flora, characterized asseasonal deciduous vegetation, is sparse and