The use of climatological water balances in substitution to complete water balances directly measured in the field allows a more practical crop management, since the climatological water balances are based on data monitored as a routine. This study makes a comparison between these methods in terms of estimatives of evapotranspiration, soil water storage, soil available water, runoff losses, and drainage below root zone, during a two year period, taking as an example a coffee crop of the variety Catuaí, three to five years old. Climatological water balances based on the estimation of the evapotranspiration through the methods of Thornthwaite and Penman-Monteith, can reasonably substitute field measured balances, however underestimating the above mentioned variables.
evapotranspiration; soil water storage; available water; water deficit; water excess
