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In California and other agricultural regions that are facing challenges with water scarcity, accurate estimates of crop evapotranspiration (ET c) can support agricultural entities in ongoing efforts to improve on-farm water use efficiency. Remote sensing approaches for calculating ET c can be used to support wide area mapping of crop coefficients and ET c with the goal of increasing access to spatially and temporally distributed information for these variables, and advancing the use of evapotranspiration (ET) data in irrigation scheduling and management. We briefly review past work on the derivation of crop coefficients and ET c data from satellite-derived vegetation indices (VI) and evaluate the accuracy of a VI-based approach for calculation of ET c using a well instrumented, drip irrigated sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) field in the California Central Valley as a demonstration case. Sugar beets are grown around the world for sugar production, and are also being evaluated in California as a potential biofuel crop as well as for their ability to scavenge nitrogen from the soil, with important potential benefits for reduction of nitrate leaching from agricultural fields during the winter months. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of ET c data from the Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS) framework for sugar beets using ET data from a weighing lysimeter and a flux station instrumented with micrometeorological instrumentation. We used the Allen and Pereira (A&P) approach, which was developed to estimate single and basal crop coefficients from crop fractional cover (f c) and height, and combined with satellite-derived f c data and grass reference ET (ET o) data as implemented within SIMS to estimate daily ET c from SIMS (ET c-SIMS) for the sugar beet crop. The accuracy of the daily ET c-SIMS data was evaluated against daily actual ET data from the weighing lysimeter (ET a-lys) and actual ET calculated using an energy balance approach from micrometeorological instrumentation (ET a-eb). Over the course of the 181-day production cycle, ET c-SIMS totaled 737.1 mm, which was within 7.7% of total ET a-lys and 3.7% of ET a-eb. On a daily timestep, SIMS mean bias error was −0.31 mm/day relative to ET a-lys , and 0.15 mm/day relative to ET a-eb. The results from this study highlight the potential utility of applying satellite-based f c data coupled with the A&P approach to estimate ET c for drip-irrigated crops. • Used Allen and Pereira (A&P) approach to estimate basal crop coefficients (K cb) from crop fractional cover and height. • Encoded A&P approach in Satellite Irrigation Management Support (SIMS) to derive K cb and estimate evapotranspiration (ET). • Evaluated SIMS estimates of K cb and ET using flux tower and weighing lysimeter. • Provided evidence for using A&P approach in irrigation scheduling and water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]