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Evapotranspiration of guinea grass (panicum maximum jacq) and bahia grass (paspalum notatum flugge) using energy balance method and weighing lysimeter.

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Author(s):
Leonardo Duarte Batista da Silva
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Doctoral Thesis
Press: Piracicaba.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Marcos Vinicius Folegatti; Luís Fernando de Souza Magno Campeche; Daniel Fonseca de Carvalho; Everardo Chartuni Mantovani; Nilson Augusto Villa Nova
Advisor: Marcos Vinicius Folegatti; Nilson Augusto Villa Nova
Abstract

Pasture irrigation presented a large growth in Brazil in recent years. However, the lack of research on pasture water use has led to inefficient irrigation management practices. The objectives of this work were: to evaluate the relationships between global solar irradiance and net radiation on surfaces covered with Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) and Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum flugge); to determine the evapotranspiration of Guinea grass through weighing lysimeter measurements; to apply the energy balance method to estimate the evapotranspiration of Guinea grass by means of an automated Bowen ratio system; and finally to compare the evapotranspiration of Guinea grass measured by a weighing lysimeter versus the evapotranspiration estimated by the automated Bowen ratio energy balance system.. Evapotranspiration (ETc) was obtained for Guinea grass by means of a weighing lysimeter and an automated Bowen ratio system. Global solar irradiance (Qg) and the net radiation (Rn) over Bahia grass and Guinea grass were also obtained. The data were collected daily and statistically analyzed through regression analysis. The linear regression models for Rn estimates were Rn = 0,5418.Qg (r 2 = 0,9297) for a Bahia grass surface and Rn = 0,5613.Qg (r 2 = 0,8719) for a surface covered with Guinea grass. Guinea grass average evapotranspiration was 4.13 mm.day -1 by the energy balance method and 4.34 mm.day -1 as measured by the weighing lysimeter. The results led to the conclusion that the daily and hourly evapotranspiration values of Guinea grass obtained by the Bowen ratio automated system, were affected by the advection and by precipitation. Despite that, it was possible to obtain a correlation between the Bowen ratio evapotranspiration and measurements with the weighing lysimeter. The results show that the net radiation over Bahia grass and Guinea grass can satisfactorily be estimated from the global solar irradiance as long as seasonal variations are taken into account. (AU)