Evapotranspiration of Cotton and Estimation Methods1

Abstract

AbstractAverage measured ET curves and ET/RS curves were developed for estimating short‐period (7 to 14 days) or seasonal ET for cotton grown under wet, moderate, and dry soil moisture regimes on a medium‐ and a fine‐textured soil in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Maximum average ET rates ranged from 0.46 cm per day for the dry moisture regime to 0.74 cm per day on the wet moisture regime on the medium‐textured soil compared with 0.46 to 0.76 cm per day on the dry and wet moisture regimes, respectively, on the fine‐textured soil.Comparison of the two estimating methods indicated that cotton ET estimates made from average ET were as reliable as estimates made from ET/RS and solar radiation.