Modelling Evapotranspiration of Container Crops for Irrigation Scheduling

Irrigation is now recognized as an important component in the agriculture economy of Mediterranean regions. As practiced by many growers, it is often based on traditional application methods that fail to measure the supply of water needed to satisfy the variable requirements of different crops. In order to achieve more profitable and sustainable cropping systems, it is essential to modernize existing irrigation systems and improve irrigation water use efficiency (WUE). Up-to-date methods of irrigation should likewise be based on sound principles and techniques for attaining greater control over the soil-cropwater regime and for optimizing irrigation in relation to all other essential agricultural inputs and operations. Accurate predictions of crop water requirements are necessary for an efficient use of irrigation water in container crops cultivated both outdoors and in greenhouse. Irrigation scheduling (IS) has conventionally aimed to achieve an optimum water supply for productivity, with soil or container water content being maintained close to field capacity. Different approaches to IS have been developed, each having both advantages and disadvantages but despite the number of available systems and apparatus, not entirely satisfactory solutions have been found to rationalize IS, assuring optimal plant growth with minimal water use (Jones, 2004). Many growers, especially in the Mediterranean regions, use simple timers for automated irrigation control of containerized crops and scheduling is based on their own experience. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the primary process affecting crop water requirements and, therefore, its knowledge is essential for efficient irrigation management. ET is the combined process of evaporation from soil or substrate and leaf transpiration. Evapotranspiration requires two essential components: a source of energy and a vapour transport mechanism. Energy is needed for phase change from liquid to vapour in sub-stomatal cavities whereas the leaf-to-air vapour pressure gradient ensures that water vapour crosses leaf stomata. In container-grown plants, ET is affected by many factors, both environmental (e.g. air temperature, radiation, humidity, wind speed) and plant related characteristics (e.g. growth

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