EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

Evapotranspirationor consumptive use of water is the depth of

water consumed by evaporation and transpiration during crop
growth, including water consumed by accompanying weed growth.

Consumptive use of water includes the water deposited by rainfall

and subsequently evaporating without entering the plant system.

Its study is important in the design of reservoir, irrigation canals,

water balance on earth surface and projects relating to water.

The value of consumptive use of water varies from crop to crop

and also for the same crop it varies with time as well as place.
 Factors Affecting Evapotranspiration
Meteorological factors:
It increases with the increase in temperature,
sunshine and wind velocity but decreases with
humidity.

Plant and soil factors:

• Great er t he density of vegetation, greater is
t he
evapotranspiration.
•When th e vegetative surface becomes dry and t he
soil moisture decreases, the evaporation decreases.
• Evapotranspiration depends upon the stage of
the
plant growth.
 Measurement (or Estimation) of Evapotranspiration (or Consumptive use)

The various methods adopted are broadly classified

into:

a) Direct measurement of consumptive use of water.

o Lysimeter Method
o Field Experimental Method
o Soil Moisture Studies
o Integration Method

b) Empirical formula
 Lysimete
r
Method
Lysimeter is an evapotransporimeter, which is a circular tank
with pervious bottom whose diameter may be extended to 5m.
Tanks are watertight cylindrical containers open at one end and
are set into ground with their rim flush with the surface.
Consumptive use is determined by the difference of the total
water applied to the tank and that draining through the pervious
bottom and collected in a pan.
 This method is time consuming and expensive.
Field Experimental
Plots

In this method the irrigation water is applied to

the selected field experimental plots.

In the plot, all the elements of water budget are

measured in a known time interval and the
evapotranspiration is determined as

• Evapotranspiration = Precipitation
+ Irrigation input –
•Runoff – Increase in soil storage –
Groundwater loss
 In this method the consumptive use of water is determined by
the summation of the products of
i. Consumptive use of water for each crop times its area.
ii. Consumptive use of water for natural vegetation
time its area.
iii. Evaporation from water surface times water surface area.
iv. Evaporation from bare land times its area.
Note: It is necessary to know the division of total area under
irrigation crops, natural vegetation, water surface area bare land
area.