Evapotranspiration of corn (Zea mays L.) in a tropical environment estimated by the DSSAT/CERES-MAIZE model

• Grant number: 23/11980-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Agricultural Meteorology
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Ricardo Marin
• Grantee: Lívia Betanho Sandoval
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Corn is an extremely important crop for Brazil, given that the country is the third largest producer in the world ranking. The project to be developed involves one of the most limiting factors for crop productivity, evapotranspiration, a responsible factor that, when correctly calculated, allows for more accurate analyzes regarding the water balance and need for irrigation in the location where the crop will be developed. In the DSSAT/Ceres-Maize (DCM) model, evapotranspiration can be estimated by two methods: FAO-56 Penman Monteith and Priestley-Taylor. The objective of this project is to compare the results of evapotranspiration measured in the field with the values available in the DCM, associating in this analysis the evaluation of the growth and development of the crop. The analysis of the results should conclude on the uncertainty of the model in estimating evapotranspiration and what its impacts on the quality of the simulation of the growth and development of the corn crop, making it possible to indicate possible improvements in the model.