Abstract
ABSTRACT The evapotranspiration process is critical to studies on the water balance and water demand of crops and can be determined by several methods. A widely-used method, despite its high installation costs, is weighing lysimeters, which consists of a box over a balance connected to a load cell that monitors variations in the soil-water-plant-atmosphere system. The aim of this study was to develop and calibrate six weighing lysimeters (with dimensions of 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.2 m each) by high precision load cells, testing their ability to measure water mass changes in field conditions and cultivated with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), in the city of Tangará da Serra, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. All lysimeters showed coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, as well as Willmott indexes, correlation and high confidence indexes, indicating that the equipment is suitable for measuring mass variations in water balance and evapotranspiration studies, representing the reality which occurred in the field.
Highlights
Evapotranspiration is a natural process by which water is transferred from the soil and plants to the atmosphere
The evapotranspiration process is critical to studies on the water balance and water demand of crops and can be determined by several methods
A widely-used method, despite its high installation costs, is weighing lysimeters, which consists of a box over a balance connected to a load cell that monitors variations in the soil-water-plant-atmosphere system
Summary
Evapotranspiration is a natural process by which water is transferred from the soil and plants to the atmosphere. Among the methods used for the determination of evapotranspiration, lysimeters are devices that have an isolated structure, where the soil vegetation does not interfere externally. The vegetation should have the same characteristics (height and leaf area) as the vegetation within the lysimeters. They are used in the validation of evapotranspiration estimation methods (Faria et al, 2006; Carvalho et al, 2007; Bryla et al, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
