Determination of Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficients of Irrigated Legumes on Different Soil Types Using the FAO56 Approach

Abstract

Climates and locations specific crop coefficients (CC) plays pivotal roles in effective water management and yield optimization. Research on crop coefficients for many staple crops remains limited in many regions across Africa. This study was designed to ascertain the crop coefficients of Sampea14 (V1), Sampea17 (V2), and TGX 1465-1D (V3) cultivated on sandy, sandy clay loam, and sandy loam soils, within Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria. A 3x3 factorial experiment was designed in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replicates. During the initial-growth stage, the average CC for V1, V2, and V3 were computed as 0.42, 0.54, and 0.24, respectively. At the mid-growth stage, these coefficients increased to 1.82, 2.04, and 2.59 and in the late season, the average CC were 0.89, 0.54, and 0.32, for the respective varieties. The outcomes of this study would enhance efficient water management practices and ultimately improve both crop and water productivity.