ABSTRACT When determining plant transpiration (TR) using the thermal dissipation probe method, it is necessary to calibrate the sap flow (SF) estimation equation for each species under study, and thus obtain reliable information about the water demand of crops. This study aims to calibrate the equation used to determine SF using the thermal dissipation probe for atemoya cultivation. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of the Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Juazeiro, Northeast Brazil. Atemoya plants in the initial phase of development were transplanted into 21.5-l pots arranged on weighing platforms that acted as lysimeters. The SF was determined by the thermal dissipation probe method using 1-cm-long probes. The angular coefficient of the Granier equation was adjusted by minimizing the absolute deviations between the accumulated daily SF and TR measured using the lysimeter. The results demonstrated that the application of the Granier method is satisfactory for estimating the TR of the atemoya and that it is necessary to adjust the angular coefficient of the equation. The mean absolute error between SF and TR was 3.1%.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar coeficientes de cultura e avaliar a produtividade da cebola submetida a diferentes lâminas de irrigação. O experimento foi conduzido no campo experimental do DTCS/UNEB, em Juazeiro, no período de abril a setembro de 2011. Para determinação da ETc foram efetuadas medidas diárias em evapotranspirômetros. A ETo foi obtida através dos métodos do tanque classe A (TCA) e Penman-Monteith (PM) e o Kc pela relação: Kc = ETc/ETo. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, com três tratamentos e sete repetições. As variáveis analisadas foram: diâmetro transversal, peso médio de bulbos, produção total, produção comercial, teor de sólidos solúveis totais e acidez total titulável. Os Kc's encontrados tomando-se como base a ETo determinada pelo método TCA, com o Kp calculado com dados climáticos obtidos in situ, foram bem próximos daqueles determinados pelo método PM; a produtividade total superou a média nacional em torno de 122% para os tratamentos T1 (irrigação feita na base de ETc) e T3 (irrigação em base na ETo calculado pelo método de PM) e em 86% para o tratamento T2 (irrigação na base de ETo calculado pelo método de TCA); o manejo de irrigação, tomando-se como base o método TCA, pode proporcionar produtividade elevada levando-se em consideração as condições climáticas locais.

The present study aimed to determine crop coefficients and evaluate the productivity of onion under different irrigation levels. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field at DTCS/UNEB Juazeiro during the period from April to September 2011. For determining the ETc, daily measurements were made in evapotranspirometers. The ETo was obtained by the methods of the Class A pan (TCA) and Penman-Monteith (PM) and the Kc by: Kc = ETc/ETo. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments and seven replications. The examined variables were: transverse diameter, mean bulb weight, total production, commercial production, total soluble solids and titratable acidity. The Kc values found by taking as a basis the ETo determined by the TCA method with the Kp calculated using weather data obtained in situ, were very close to those determined by the PM method; the total productivity surpassed the national average by 122% for T1 (irrigation on the basis of ETc) and T3 (irrigation on the basis of ETo calculated according to PM) treatments and 86% for the T2 (irrigation on the basis of ETo calculated according to TCA) treatment; the irrigation management, based on the TCA method can provide high productivity, taking into account local climatic conditions.