Measurements and modelling of evapotranspiration to assess agricultural water productivity in basins with changing land use patterns: a case study in the São Francisco River basin, Brazil.
Teixeira A. H. de C.
Author Affiliation: Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands.
: xiv + 239 pp.
Abstract : This thesis with ten chapters including the introduction, investigates the accuracy of selected energy balance model based on remote sensing together with agrometeorological data, and to assess how it can be used in monitoring and planning of irrigation systems at local and regional scales in the São Francisco River basin in Brazil. Chapter 2 provides the overview of the theory concerning evapotranspiration, crop production and crop water productivity, while Chapter 3 presents some background understanding of attainable yields, water consumption and water productivities of vineyards and mango orchards. In Chapter 4, detailed descriptions are given on the energy and water balance field experiments in wine grape, table grape, mango orchard and natural vegetation together with the agrometeorological stations used for reference evapotranspiration and SEBAL calculations. Chapter 5 describes the crop water parameters of irrigated wine and table grapes investigation to support water productivity analyses in the Low-Middle São Francisco River basin. Chapter 6 enumerates the measurements of energy and water balance for water productivity analyses in irrigated mango trees in the area. In Chapter 7, analyses of energy fluxes and vegetation-atmosphere parameters in irrigated and natural ecosystems in the semiarid region of the São Francisco River basin is given. In Chapter 8, the SEBAL input parameters are calibrated and validated with field data and regional actual evapotranspiration, biomass production and crop water productivity are assessed for the Low-Middle São Francisco River basin. Finally, Chapter 9 summarizes the results of the study and provides the conclusions and recommendations to improve the evaluation of different irrigation schemes in terms of crop water productivity and their impact on water resources, by intensification of agriculture in the semiarid region of Brazil.