Evaluation of methods of estimation of hourly evapotranspiration for hydroponic lettuce under protected environment

The objective of this work was to evaluate the precision and accuracy of different methods for estimating hourly values of evapotranspiration (ETc) for hydroponic lettuce under protected environment conditions. To determine the necessary parameters for different estimating methods, and their subsequent validation, two sets of experimental data were obtained from measurements carried out with cultivars Grand Rapids, Regina and Great Lakes. Evapotranspiration estimates were conducted with the following methods: Penman-Monteith parameterized by FAO in 1998 (PMF); Penman-Monteith modified for aerodynamic characteristics in protected environment (PMAP); Simplified Penman-Monteith (PMAPS); Priestley-Taylor (PT); Solar radiation (RS) and Simplified solar radiation (RSS). The results demonstrated that the PMAP and PMAPS methods allowed better estimates of the hourly values of ETc, both in the morning and in the afternoon period.

protected cultivation; horticulture; nutrient film technique