Comparison of water consumption estimates for tropical and winter forages by FDR probes and weighing lysimeters

Soil moisture determination is essential for a good use of available water resources. In this regard, the use of frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) probes has as advantages mobility and practicality in relation to lysimeters. The experiment was carried out between April and June 2016 at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP), located in Piracicaba, SP at the geographical coordinates 22 degrees 42'14.6 '' S and 47 degrees 37'24.1 '' W and altitude of 546 m. This study aimed to assess these FDR probes to estimate water consumption in comparison to measurements by weighing lysimeters (ETcLys) and reference evapotranspiration (ETo) in Mombaca and Bermuda grass pastures under single cultivation and overseeded with oat and ryegrass. Soil moisture was assessed daily by FDR probes by estimating crop evapotranspiration (ETcFDR probe) from soil water balance calculation, which was correlated with ETcLys and ETo (Penman-Monteith, FAO 56). For all treatments, FDR probes presented the highest water consumptions when compared to the other two evapotranspiration methods, with accumulations of 126.5 and 125.6 mm for single and overseeded Mombaca grass, respectively. For Bermuda grass, water consumption was 123.4 mm in the single cultivation and 128.5 mm when overseeded. The method of estimating evapotranspiration by FDR probes showed good correlations with ETo and ETcLys.