Determination of evapotranspiration and crop coefficient for cauliflower at Paranánorthwest region

Abstract

Evapotranspiration and the estimation of crop coefficient (Kc) are essential information for irrigation management, contributing to increase the water use efficiency and optimizing resources, mainly using local data. This study aimed to determine the water consumption and the crop coefficient of cauliflower (Barcelona hybrid) in the northwestern region of Paraná. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Technical Irrigation Center belonging to the State University of Maringá, in Maringá - PR. The crop evapotranspiration was determined using constant water table lysimeters, and the reference evapotranspiration was estimated by the Penman-Monteith method (FAO), using climatological data collected in an automatic meteorological station. The cultivation was carried out from April to July. The total water consumption by the cauliflower was 215.11 mm, a higher value than that available in the FAO recommendations. The crop coefficient (Kc) recommended values for local conditions are 0.74 for the initial stage, 1.86 for the intermediate stage, and 1.50 for the final stage.