EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND CROP COEFFICIENT OF PAPAYA

This study aimed to determine the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and the crop coefficient (Kc) for of UENF/CALIMAN01 papaya hybrid (Carica papaya L.). The experiment was conducted in an area of UENF/PESAGRO-RIO, in Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil, from 4-25-2006 to 8-20-2007. To determine the ETc and Kc, a weighing lysimeter (6 m(2)) was used. The reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was determined by the Penmam-Monteith (FAO) method. The maximum crop evapotranspiration was of 2.9 mm day(-1), 229 days after the transplant (DAT), and the medium crop evapotranspiration during the experiment was of 1.8 mm day(-1). The value of crop coefficient (Kc) varied linearly from 0.63 to 1.05, the transplant to 206 DAT. After this period, the variation of Kc presented inversely relation with the canopy diameter, being reduced to a value medium minimum of 0.81, to 300 DAT. Considering the whole period of study, it was obtained an average Kc of 0.87.