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Determination of crop coefficients and spatial distribution of evapotranspiration and net irrigation requirement for three commonly cultivated crops in South‐East Nigeria
Author(s) -
Okechukwu M.E.,
Mbajiorgu C.C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.2447
Subject(s) - evapotranspiration , pepper , irrigation , crop , food security , geography , spinach , environmental science , crop coefficient , water balance , agronomy , agricultural science , agroforestry , forestry , agriculture , horticulture , biology , engineering , ecology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology
Effective crop production is one major way of ensuring food security, but basic information on evapotranspiration and net irrigation requirement are needed. ET c , NIR and their spatial distribution were studied for three commonly cultivated crops in south‐east Nigeria, namely African spinach ( Amarathus hybridus ), Nsukka yellow pepper ( Capsicum Chinese Nsukkadrilus ) and maize ( Zea mays ). The average daily ET c from lysimetric water balance studies and K c were 3.9, 4.20 and 3.7 mm and 0.87, 0.93 and 0.82 for spinach, pepper, and, maize, respectively. The statewide annual evapotranspiration for the crops was between 1070 and 1450 mm. The average annual ranges of NIR were 408–706, 524–706 and 450–621 mm for African spinach, Nsukka yellow pepper and maize, respectively. Statewide, Imo and Abia states do not require irrigation annually. Mapping spatially interpolated evapotranspiration and NIR has not only provided information on areas where weather stations are not available but have also provided information for farmers, water managers and policy makers for effective water resources management and improved crop production for food security in the south‐east of Nigeria. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.