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Forecasting potential evapotranspiration by combining numerical weather predictions and visible and near-infrared satellite images: an application in southern Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2018

G. B. Chirico ,
A. Pelosi ,
C. De Michele ,
S. Falanga Bolognesi  and
G. D'Urso
G. B. Chirico*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
A. Pelosi
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
C. De Michele
Affiliation:
Ariespace s.r.l., Naples, Italy
S. Falanga Bolognesi
Affiliation:
Ariespace s.r.l., Naples, Italy
G. D'Urso
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: G. B. Chirico, E-mail: gchirico@unina.it
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Abstract

Irrigation according to reliable estimates of crop water requirements (CWR) is one of the key strategies to ensure long-term sustainability of irrigated agriculture. In southern Mediterranean regions, during the irrigation season, CWR is almost totally controlled by the potential evapotranspiration of the irrigated crop. An innovative system for forecasting crop potential evapotranspiration (ETp) has been implemented recently in the Campania region (southern Italy). The system produces ETp forecasts with a lead time of up to 5 days, by coupling the visible and near-infrared crop imagery with numerical weather prediction outputs of a limited area model. The forecasts are delivered to farmers with a simple and intuitive web app interface, which makes daily real-time ETp maps accessible from desktop computers, tablets and smartphones. Forecast performances were evaluated for maize fields of two farms in two irrigation seasons (2014–2015). The mean absolute bias of the forecasted ETp was <0.3 mm/day and the RMSE was <0.6 mm/day, both for lead times up to 5 days.

Keywords

Crop water requirementsEarth observationforecastingnumerical weather predictionspotential evapotranspiration
Type
Crops and Soils Research Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 156 , Themed Issue 5: Themed Issue: Assessment and monitoring of crop water use and productivity under present and future climate , July 2018 , pp. 702 - 710
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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