Influence of variability of climatic indicators onwater consumption of cotton

Abstract

Processing and analysing average annual climatic parameters over 89 years revealed some trends in air temperature, relative air humidity, and precipitation in the typical grey soils (sierozem) region. These trends demonstrate sustained growth of the climatic indices. However, evaporation rates, deficit indices, and their movements, calculated and performed based on the above climatic parameters, have been decreasing with time. Over the recent years, such a downward tendency in climate elements change has reduced irrigation water requirements of early-ripening cotton plants. The article performs experimental data on evaporation rates measured using small-diameter evaporation pans about watertemperature and wind speed. In the region with typical grey soilsover quite a long observation period, significant changes in climatic elements have occurred, which have had a substantial impact on irrigation schedules and total water consumption of crops; these changes are the following: the rise of annual average air temperature by one degree, relative air humidity – by 25%, precipitation – by 40%.