Abstract
Accurate parameterization of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is necessary for optimizing irrigation scheduling and avoiding costs associated with over-irrigation (water expense, loss of water productivity, energy costs, and pollution) or with under-irrigation (crop stress and suboptimal yields or quality). ET0 is often estimated using the FAO-56 method with meteorological data gathered over a reference surface, usually short grass. However, the density of suitable ET0 stations is often low relative to the microclimatic variability of many arid and semi-arid regions, leading to a potentially inaccurate ET0 for irrigation scheduling. In this study, we investigated multiple ET0 products from six meteorological stations, a satellite ET0 product, and integration (merger) of two stations’ data in Southern California, USA. We evaluated ET0 against lysimetric ET observations from two lysimeter systems (weighing and volumetric) and two crops (wine grapes and Jerusalem artichoke) by calculating crop ET (ETc) using crop coefficients for the lysimetric crops with the different ET0. ETc calculated with ET0 products that incorporated field-specific wind speed had closer agreement with lysimetric ET, with RMSE reduced by 36 and 45% for grape and Jerusalem artichoke, respectively, with on-field anemometer data compared to wind data from the nearest station. The results indicate the potential importance of on-site meteorological sensors for ET0 parameterization; particularly where microclimates are highly variable and/or irrigation water is expensive or scarce.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Martin Angulo, Jeffrey Geiger, Teresa Clapp, and Charmaine Mutuc for their assistance with the grape lysimeter observations and USSL weather station. Tessa Ries, William Yee, and Alan Malagon helped with the Jerusalem artichoke measurements. We thank and acknowledge the editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. The research grape field and lysimeters were funded in part by a grant from USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This research was also supported by USDA-ARS National Program 211: Water Availability and Water Management (Project nos. 2036-61000-015-00, 2036-13210-010-00, and 2036-61000-016-00).
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Anderson, R.G., Ferreira, J.F.S., Jenkins, D.L. et al. Incorporating field wind data to improve crop evapotranspiration parameterization in heterogeneous regions. Irrig Sci 35, 533–547 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-017-0560-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-017-0560-x