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The dual crop coefficient approach to estimate and partitioning evapotranspiration of the winter wheat–summer maize crop sequence in North China Plain

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Abstract

An accurate estimation of crop evapotranspiration (ET c) is very useful for appropriate water management; hence, an accurate and user-friendly model is needed to support related irrigation decisions. In this view, a study was developed aimed at estimating the ET c of winter wheat–summer maize crop sequence in the North China through eddy covariance measurements, to calibrate and validate the SIMDualKc model, to estimate the basal crop coefficients (K cb) for both crops and to partition ET c into soil evaporation and crop transpiration. Two years of field experimentation of that crop sequence were used to calibrate and validate the SIMDualKc model and to derive K cb using eddy covariance measurements. Various indicators have shown the goodness of fit of the model, with estimated values very close to the observed ones and estimate errors close to 0.5 mm d−1. The initial, mid-season and end basal crop coefficients for wheat were 0.25, 1.15 and 0.30, respectively, and those for maize were 0.15, 1.15 and 0.45, thus close to those proposed in FAO56 guidelines. The soil evaporation represented near 80 % of ET c for the initial stages of winter wheat and summer maize and decreased to only 5–6 % during the mid-season period. Evaporation during the full crop season averaged 28 % for winter wheat and 40 % for summer maize. The importance of wetting frequency and crop ground coverage in controlling soil evaporation was evidenced.

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Acknowledgments

The research grants from the Chinese National Natural Science Fund (51009151, and 50909098), National Key Basic Research Program (2006CB403405) and Special Scientific Fund sponsored by IWHR (1209) are acknowledged, as well as the support of the China-Portugal cooperative project funded by MOST, P. R. of China, and FCT, Portugal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China

    Baozhong Zhang, Yu Liu, Di Xu, Nana Zhao & Bo Lei

  2. National Center of Efficient Irrigation Engineering and Technology Research, Beijing, 100048, China

    Baozhong Zhang, Yu Liu, Di Xu & Bo Lei

  3. CEER, Biosystems Engineering, Institute of Agronomy, Technical University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ricardo D. Rosa, Paula Paredes, Teresa A. Paço & Luis S. Pereira

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  1. Baozhong Zhang
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  2. Yu Liu
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  3. Di Xu
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  9. Luis S. Pereira
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Correspondence to Luis S. Pereira.

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Communicated by S. Ortega-Farias.

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Zhang, B., Liu, Y., Xu, D. et al. The dual crop coefficient approach to estimate and partitioning evapotranspiration of the winter wheat–summer maize crop sequence in North China Plain. Irrig Sci 31, 1303–1316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-013-0405-1

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