Crop coefficient estimated by degree-days for ‘Marandu’ palisadegrass and mixed forage

Considering profitability in pasture-based systems, investigating parameters affecting crop coefficients for irrigation management becomes important. In this experiment, we determined the crop coefficient of ‘Marandu’ palisadegrass based on accumulated degree-days and estimated plant water consumption under single (‘Marandu’ alisadegrass) and mixed (‘Marandu’ palisadegrass + black oats + Italian ryegrass) cropping regimes. The research was conducted at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, between 2016 and 2017. Evapotranspiration was assessed using weighing lysimeters while crop evapotranspiration was calculated using mean weight variation. Reference evapotranspiration and degree-days were estimated. Data were obtained from an automated weather station. Equations and regression models relating crop coefficient with accumulated degree-days were generated for two seasons (spring/summer and autumn/winter) and evaluated for two year-cycles, from 2015 to 2018. The results showed better prediction accuracy for the single cropping system in spring/summer 2017–18. Highlights The model for determinating crop coefficient (Kc) by accumulated degree-days showed efficient for use in determination local. The use of the degree days for determination Kc is more vantage because only necessary to measure the air temperature (maximum and minimum). The equations for determining crop coefficient by accumulated degree days for the spring/summer season in Marandu palisade grass cultive show more precision that in mixture forage system.Considering profitability in pasture-based systems, investigating parameters affecting crop coefficients for irrigation management becomes important. In this experiment, we determined the crop coefficient of ‘Marandu’ palisadegrass based on accumulated degree-days and estimated plant water consumption under single (‘Marandu’ alisadegrass) and mixed (‘Marandu’ palisadegrass + black oats + Italian ryegrass) cropping regimes. The research was conducted at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil, between 2016 and 2017. Evapotranspiration was assessed using weighing lysimeters while crop evapotranspiration was calculated using mean weight variation. Reference evapotranspiration and degree-days were estimated. Data were obtained from an automated weather station. Equations and regression models relating crop coefficient with accumulated degree-days were generated for two seasons (spring/summer and autumn/winter) and evaluated for two year-cycles, from 2015 to 2018. The results showed better prediction accuracy for the single cropping system in spring/summer 2017–18. Highlights The model for determinating crop coefficient (Kc) by accumulated degree-days showed efficient for use in determination local. The use of the degree days for determination Kc is more vantage because only necessary to measure the air temperature (maximum and minimum). The equations for determining crop coefficient by accumulated degree days for the spring/summer season in Marandu palisade grass cultive show more precision that in mixture forage system

Evaluation of the rational use of agricultural space for better human occupation

Changes in microclimates in urbanized areas are due to direct human interference, such as the replacement of wooded areas by paving and construction in inadequate locations. For the study of environments, climatic variables interpreted in isolation have little informative content because its exist in set. Considering the expansion of urban areas over the rural environment, the characterization of anthropized environments has been an important tool for feeding urban projects that, in order to be sustainable, have used comfort indexes in your evaluations. Another resource currently used are decision support systems, such as those that use fuzzy logic, as they assist in the observation of conflicting situations such as those involving environmental issues. Thus, in this research, the human discomfort index (HDI) was used to assess 6 different microclimates and to verify the degree of interference of rural anthropization in human thermal comfort and with the observed information build a mathematical model based on fuzzy logic, relating climatic variables and microenvironments, in which the response variable were levels of human well-being. In the end, it was possible to conclude that the urbanization process in rural areas influences the microclimate and quality of the environments, reflecting human thermal comfort. In addition, the Fuzzy model constructed estimated the observed scenarios in a coherent manner, serving to assist in the management of agricultural environments and decision making

Yield parameters and water productivity of tropical and overseeded winter forages

Intensive pasture exploitation with tropical forages is one of the most efficient forms ruminant production. However, the results depends on the knowledge about these forages and the experience in its management. The objective of this work was to evaluate water productivity (WP) and yield parameters of Megathyrsus maximum cv. Mombaça “Guinea grass” and Cynodon spp. “Bermuda grass”, in single culture and overseeded with oats + ryegrass in autumn/winter period. Irrigation management was done considering a depletion factor of 0.3 (70% of the humidity the field capacity). The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications, in which the forages are the treatments with evaluation at the time of the cycles. For all evaluated parameters, the best results were obtained with the Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation. The TFP (Total Forage Productivity) of Guinea grass was superior to Bermuda grass (59.3 and 30.2 Mg ha-1, respectively), in accordance with its average LAI (Leaf area index) values of 4.8 and 2.5, respectively. The most efficient use of water occurred for Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation, and the intercropped crops did not present increases in the WP. In the autumn/winter period, the accumulated TFP of the exclusive crop of Guinea grass was higher than the other crops. However, the SDM of Bermuda grass was higher than the other crops. In winter, the highest LAI occurred in Guinea grass in exclusive cultivation, followed by the overseeded Guinea grass, 4.8 and 4.5, respectively. Consortia did not increase forage yield during the winter. The consortiums did not increase forage yield during the winter

Cultivation coefficient (Kc) and water consumption, productive and biometric factors of tropical grasses in exclusive cultivation and overseeding with winter forages

As pastagens ocupam a maior parte da área agrícola e contribuem com a segunda e a quinta atividades que compõem o PIB agropecuário brasileiro, a carne e o leite. A crescente utilização da irrigação de pastagens surgiu primordialmente em áreas leiteiras, juntamente com processos que aprimoram a produção, e posteriormente espalhou-se por áreas de gado de corte. Assim surge a necessidade de um manejo adequado da irrigação de pastagens, e é fundamental conhecer sua evapotranspiração, seus limites produtivos e suas caracteristicas nesse processo de intensificação. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o consumo de água, os valores do coeficiente de cultura (Kc) e os parâmetros produtivos e biométricos de duas gramíneas tropicais (Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça e Cynodon spp.), em cultivos exclusivos e consorciados em sobressemeadura com aveia preta e azevém. Como objetivos secundários, buscou-se: (i) medir os parâmetros biométricos de altura do dossel forrageiro (ADF) e indice de area foliar (IAF) entre os ciclos identificando o melhor período de corte, (ii) estimar o acúmulo médio de graus dias de desenvolvimento (GDD) nas diferentes estações do ano correlacionando com o crescimento das forrageiras, (iii) estimar o consumo de água das plantas com a sonda FDR Diviner 2000® e correlacionar seus dados com o consumo de água medido em lisímetros de pesagem. O estudo foi realizado na Escola Superior de Agricultura \"Luiz de Queiroz\" (ESALQ/USP) em Piracicaba-SP (Latitude 22°42\'14\"S; Longitude 47°37\'24\"O; Altitude de 569 m). Os experimentos foram conduzidos de março de 2015 a fevereiro de 2017, com delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com 4 tratamentos: 1- capim Mombaça em cultivo exclusivo, 2- capim Mombaça em cultivo sobressemeado com aveia e azevém, 3 - Cynodon spp em cultivo exclusivo; 4 - Cynodon spp em cultivo sobressemeado com aveia e azevém. Foram utilizados a aveia preta (Avena strigosa) cv. Embrapa 29 (Garoa) e azevém (Lolium multiflorum) cv. Fepagro São Gabriel. As calibrações dos métodos de lisimetria e da sonda FDR (Diviner 2000®) apresentaram bons ajustes, com altos coeficientes de correlação. Os resultados de consumo de água pelas gramíneas mostraram uma grande variação por período e dentro dos ciclos com grandes consumos de água, obtendo vários valores de Kc maiores que 1. Foram obtidas boas correlações entre crescimento, IAF e acúmulo de graus dias (GDD). Os valores acumulados de evapotranspiração de cultura (Kc) obtidos com o sensor FDR foram maiores que os medidos nos lisímetros. Os resultados detalhados encontram-se no desenvolvimento de cada capítulo deste trabalho.Pastures represent the largest part of the agricultural area and contribute to the second and fifth activities that make up the Brazilian GPD, meat and milk. The increasing use of pasture irrigation primarily arose in dairy areas, along with processes that improve the production, and subsequently reache areas of beef cattle. Thus, there is a need for an adequate irrigation management, and it is fundamental to know the crop evapotranspiration of pastures, their productive limits and their characteristics in this intensification process. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the crop water consumption, the values of crop coefficient (Kc), and the productive and biometric parameters of two tropical grasses (Panicum maximum cv. \'Mombasa\' and Cynodon spp.) single cropped and intercropped in oversseeding with black oats and ryegrass . As secondary goals, it sought: (i) measuring the biometric parameters of forage canopy height (ADF) and leaf area index (LAI) between the cycles, identifying the best cutting period; (ii) estimating the mean accumulation of degree-days of development (GDD) in the different seasons, correlating them with forage growth; (iii) estimating the crop water consumption with the FDR probe Diviner 2000® and correlating its data with the crop water consumption measured on weighing lysimeters. The study was carried out at the \"Luiz de Queiroz\" College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP), at Piracicaba, SP (Latitude 22°42\'14\"S; Longitude 47°37\'24\"W; Altitude de 569 m a.s.l.). The experiments were conducted from March 2015 to February 2017, with a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments: 1 - single cropped \'Mombasa guinea grass ; 2- \'Mombasa\' guinea grass intercropped with oats and ryegrass; 3 - single cropped Cynodon spp.; 4 - Cynodon spp. intercropped with oats and ryegrass. The winter forages were black oats (Avena strigosa) cv. Embrapa 29 (Garoa) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) cv. Fepagro São Gabriel. The calibrations of the lysimeters and the FDR probe had good adjustments, with high correlation coefficients. The results obtained of crop water consumption by the grasses showed a great variation by period and inside the growing cycles with great water consumption, often obtaining Kc values above 1. Good correlations were obtained between crop growth, LAI and degrees-days accumulation (GDD). The accumulated values of crop coefficient (Kc) were higher with the FDR sensor than with the lysimeters. The detailed results can be found in the chapters of this work

Canola yield under different irrigation frequencies and nitrogen levels in the Brazilian Cerrado

ABSTRACT In the Brazilian Cerrado, canola is grown in the off-season. During this period, rainfall is insufficient to ensure the maximum crop yield, and irrigation is needed. Canola has a high demand for nitrogen; thus, the application of this nutrient is essential for obtaining a good crop yield. Therefore, a study was conducted at the Federal University of Grande Dourados in 2012 and 2013 using a randomized block split-plot design with four repetition treatments in the plot that consisted of three irrigation frequencies (no irrigation, weekly irrigation and irrigation three times per week). Subplots received different doses of nitrogen: 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha- 1 in 2012 and 0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha-1 in 2013. In both periods, the irrigation frequencies significantly affected plant height, dry weight, grain yield, thousand grain weight and oil content. The nitrogen levels significantly affected dry weight, thousand grain weight and oil content in 2012, as well as plant height, number of pods, dry weight, grain yield and oil yield in 2013. The highest yields were obtained when irrigation was performed three times per week, corresponding to 3,001.84 kg ha-1 in 2012 and 2,516.7 kg ha-1 in 2013

Crop coefficients of tropical forage crops, single cropped and overseeded with black oat and ryegrass

Crop coefficient (Kc) is the ratio between crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and reference evapotranspiration (ETo), representing the phenological effects on crop water consumption. Kc is fundamental to estimating ETc by agrometeorological methods. This research study aimed to determine Kc and ETc values for Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus cv. Mombaça) and Bermuda grass (Cynodon spp.), both single cropped for one year and overseeded with black oat (Avena strigosa) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) during fall/winter. The experiment in the field comprised four plots, two for each tropical forage, with and without overseeding. At the center of each plot, there was a weighing lysimeter with an automated system for data collection. ETc was measured daily over four seasons following the lysimetric method; ETo was calculated using the Penman-Monteith equation. ETc and ETo values were used to estimate Kc values. The single cropped Guinea grass showed the highest values for ETc, with mean ETc and Kc of 3.99 mm d–1 and 1.07, respectively. The single cropped Bermuda grass showed ETc and Kc values of 3.57 mm d–1 and 0.96, respectively. The results of paired t-testing for Kc showed no significant differences (p = 0.05) between single cropped and intercropped for both Guinea grass and Cynodon spp. During winter, intercropped Guinea grass did not show an ETc significantly higher than single cropped Guinea grass, with mean Kc values 0.98 for intercropped and 1.10 for single cropped. Similarly, Bermuda grass did not show significant differences between mean Kc values for intercropped (1.02) and single cropped (1.00)

Consumo de água em forrageiras tropicais e de inverno obtido por sonda FDR e lisímetros de pesagem

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°42?14.6? S and 47°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 Mombaça 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 Mombaça 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.A determinação da umidade do solo é preponderante para o bom uso dos recursos hídricos disponíveis. Neste aspecto, as sondas de Reflectometria no Domínio da Frequência (FDR) tem a vantagem da mobilidade e praticidade em relação aos lisímetros. O experimento foi conduzido entre abril e junho de 2016 na Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ/USP), localizada em Piracicaba, SP nas coordenadas geográficas 22°42?14.6? S e 47°37?24.1? O e altitude de 546 m. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o uso de sonda FDR para estimativa do consumo de água em relação a medidas obtidas através de lisímetros de pesagem (ETcLis) e da evapotranspiração de referência (ETo) em pastagens de capim Mombaça e Cynodon em cultivos exclusivos e sobressemeados com aveia e azevém. A umidade de solo foi diariamente avaliada pela sonda FDR estimando a evapotranspiração de cultura (ETcsonda FDR), a partir do cálculo de balanço hídrico no solo, que foi correlacionada com a ETcLis e a ETo (Penman-Monteith - FAO 56). A sonda FDR apresentou para todos os tratamentos os maiores consumos em relação aos outros dois métodos de evapotranspiração, com acúmulos durante o ciclo de 126,5 mm e 125,6 mm, no Mombaça exclusivo e sobressemeado, respectivamente. No Cynodon spp., o consumo foi de 123,4 mm no cultivo exclusivo e 128,5 mm no sobressemeado. O método de estimativa de evapotranspiração pela sonda FDR apresentou boas correlações com a ETo e ETcLis

Seasonality of biomass production of irrigated Mombaça ‘Guinea grass’

Seasonality in tropical forage production is common in tropical and subtropical regions and should be identified for decision making on the stocking rate for each period. This study aimed to evaluate the variability of dry matter production of Megathyrsus maximum cv. Mombaça ‘Guinea grass’ over two years. The experiment was carried out from February 2016 to August 2018, under a randomised block design in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme, with four replications. Treatments consisted of (i) two growing years (2016/2017 and 2017/2018) and (ii) four seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter). The grass was fertilised with 1,000 kg N ha−1 year−1 and sprinkler irrigated, with soil moisture monitored by tensiometry. The evaluated parameters consisted of leaf dry matter, stem dry matter and total dry matter production. The results showed that the irrigated Guinea grass reached an elevated production of dry matter (DM), with the highest yields occurring in the spring/summer period, evidencing the yiel gap in the autumn/winter. The grass showed high daily forage accumulation, expressing high productive potential, demonstrating a good indicator for animal production in intensive systems with irrigated and fertilised pastures for regions of tropical climate. Thus, Guinea grass showed great potential for use in livestock