Abstract

BOUZO, C. A  and  NORERO SCH, A. L. Mathematical model for predicting the maximum Water demand of crops. FAVE. Secc. Cienc. agrar. [online]. 2015, vol.14, n.1. ISSN 1666-7719.

Diverse methods with different levels of complexity exist for the calculation of crop evapotranspiration. The understanding and quantification of evapotranspiration has advanced with the emergence of mathematical models to estimate the water demand of crops. The objective of this work is developing a mathematical model for the maximum water demand of crops,depending on phytometric and meteorological characteristics. The model is based on two main concepts: the maximum evapotranspiration and the energetic balance in the crops. The model was coded as macros of Visual Basic to be used in Microsoft® Excel. The model discriminates functional from structural variability of the micro-meteorology in the canopy. The model results for crops of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), corn (Zea mays L.) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), showed a good agreement with data from the Penman-Monteith method.

Keywords : Maximum evapotranspiration; Energetic balance; Radiation balance; Simulation.