Quantification of cotton water consumption by remote sensing.

Quantifying crop water consumption is essential for water resource management. The objective was to estimate the current evapotranspiration (ET_a) of the cotton crop (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in the rainfed system, as well as the components of the radiation and energy balance in the Cerrado biome conditions using orbital images and the SEBAL algorithm and validate the estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) using FAO guidelines for crop coefficient (K_c) of the cotton crop. Research was carried out in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in areas with three cotton cultivars. Images of the Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor sensors were used and ET estimation was made based on the SEBAL algorithm. Mean ET_a in the cotton cycle was 3.5 mm dia⁻¹ and the K_c values ranged from 0.22 and 1.12, on average, in the smaller and larger leaf area, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]