Estimation of water requirement and crop coefficients for Elephant Grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) using lysimetric method

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Depatment of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to accurately estimate the water requirement of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) and determine its crop coefficients at different growth stages over two agricultural years (2021 and 2022) using lysimetric condition under field condition.

Method: Nine drainage lysimeters were used to measure actual evapotranspiration (ETc). Reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) was calculated using the Penman-Monteith equation and meteorological data. Crop coefficients (Kc) were determined at four different growth stages: initial, development, mid-season, and late-season.

Results:The results showed that the two-year average for reference crop evapotranspiration and actual evapotranspiration during the growing season were 1092.08 mm and 1435.57 mm, respectively. The crop coefficient was calculated as the ratio of actual evapotranspiration to reference evapotranspiration throughout the growth period. The average single crop coefficients for the different growth stages were 0.91, 1.23, 1.54, and 1.05 for the initial, development, mid-season and late-season stages, respectively.The estimation of crop coefficients revealed that the highest Kc value occurred during the mid-season stage, while the lowest values were recorded during the initial and late-season stages.

Conclusions:This information can be utilized for irrigation planning and optimizing water management for elephant grass cultivation. The findings of this study assist farmers and water resources managers in adjusting irrigation patterns, reducing water consumption, and enhancing water use efficiency.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Advanced Technologies in Water Efficiency
Volume 5, Issue 2
June 2025
Pages 53-71

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 14 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 14 April 2025

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