RESUMO

Melon plants (Cucumis melo L.) are grown in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), the largest producer of melons in Brazil, with plastic mulch and agrotextiles. Studies of crop evapotranspiration (ET) under these conditions are required to ensure adequate irrigation. This study aimed to determine the crop coefficients (Kc) of irrigated melon plants grown with mulch and agrotextiles in the region of Mossoró, RN, based on the Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) method. Two experiments were conducted at different times during the 2009/2010 season in a melon producing area (4°59'52" S, 37°23'09" W, and 54 m elevation) to define ET and Kc. Due to the plastic cover and reduced precipitation during the experiments, the Kc obtained by the BREB method was considered the basal Kc - KcbBREB. The results were compared with the Kcb from the FAO 56 Bulletin. There was close agreement between BREB and FAO ET measurements (12 % underestimation by the FAO method for the entire crop season), with sizeable differences only during the initial phenological stage. The mean KcbBREB values of the two field campaigns were 0.26, 0.96 and 0.63 for the initial, midseason and late stages, respectively. The high KcbBREB value in the initial growth phase may be related to the effect of the plastic mulch and agrotextiles on the energy balance at the surface. The relationship between KcbBREB and fc had high correlation, making possible an estimation of the melon Kcb based on the level of crop ground cover.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Melon plants (Cucumis melo L.) are grown in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), the largest producer of melons in Brazil, with plastic mulch and agrotextiles. Studies of crop evapotranspiration (ET) under these conditions are required to ensure adequate irrigation. This study aimed to determine the crop coefficients (Kc) of irrigated melon plants grown with mulch and agrotextiles in the region of Mossoró, RN, based on the Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB) method. Two experiments were conducted at different times during the 2009/2010 season in a melon producing area (4°59'52" S, 37°23'09" W, and 54 m elevation) to define ET and Kc. Due to the plastic cover and reduced precipitation during the experiments, the Kc obtained by the BREB method was considered the basal Kc - KcbBREB. The results were compared with the Kcb from the FAO 56 Bulletin. There was close agreement between BREB and FAO ET measurements (12 % underestimation by the FAO method for the entire crop season), with sizeable differences only during the initial phenological stage. The mean KcbBREB values of the two field campaigns were 0.26, 0.96 and 0.63 for the initial, midseason and late stages, respectively. The high KcbBREB value in the initial growth phase may be related to the effect of the plastic mulch and agrotextiles on the energy balance at the surface. The relationship between KcbBREB and fc had high correlation, making possible an estimation of the melon Kcb based on the level of crop ground cover.(AU)

Assuntos

RESUMO

O sensoriamento remoto tem se mostrado eficaz na avaliação de fluxos de energia e de propriedades biofísicas de superfícies vegetadas em escala regional. No presente trabalho, utilizou-se o algoritmo SEBAL - Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land e imagens TM - Landsat 5 para mapeamento e quantificação do albedo (α), NDVI, temperatura da superfície (Ts) e radiação líquida (Rn) em área de algodão irrigado por pivô central, na Fazenda Busato (13,25º S; 43,42º W; 436 m), município de Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahia. Seis imagens de céu limpo ao longo do período da cultura (janeiro a agosto de 2007) e os respectivos dados meteorológicos foram utilizados para implementação do algoritmo. Após o processamento digital das imagens, verificou-se nítida relação dos parâmetros α, Ts e NDVI com o desenvolvimento da cultura. Os menores valores de α (10 a 20 por cento) e Ts (< 24ºC) e os maiores de NDVI (>0,75) ocorreram na fase de máxima cobertura do solo. A radiação líquida (Rn) diminuiu progressivamente com o tempo, influenciada, principalmente, pela diminuição da radiação solar incidente com o aumento do ângulo zenital. Os valores de Rn variaram de 430 W m-2 a 700 W m-2 nos pivos cultivados. A técnica de sensoriamento empregada capturou de forma nítida a variabilidade temporal e espacial de Rn e dos parâmetros biofísicos, cujos valores encontrados são compatíveis com os reportados na literatura para a mesma cultura sob regime de irrigação.

Remote sensing is currently an important tool for evaluation of net radiation and biophysical parameters over vegetated surfaces on a regional scale. In this research, the SEBAL - Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land and TM - Landsat 5 images were used to map and quantify the albedo (α), NDVI, surface temperature (Ts) and net radiation (Rn) of center-pivot irrigated cotton fields in the Busato Farm (13.25º S; 43.42º W; 436 m asl), western of State of Bahia, Brazil. Images from six clear-sky days during the cropping season (January to August 2007) and the corresponding meteorological data were used to run SEBAL. Results showed a clear relationship between α, NDVI, and Ts and crop development. The lowest values of α (10 to 20 percent) and Ts (< 24ºC), as well as the highest values of NDVI (> 0.75), occurred at the time of maximum ground cover. Net radiation decreased progressively with time, following the decrease of the incident solar radiation with increasing solar zenith angle. In the cropped center pivots, Rn ranged from 430 Wm-2 to 700 Wm-2. The remote sensing technique used in this study was consistent in capturing the temporal and spatial variability of the biophysical parameters and net radiation over the irrigated cotton, and their values are in agreement with those reported in the literature for the same crop in irrigated areas.