Irrigation Scheduling
Consumptive-use
Crop irrigations cannot be effectively scheduled without an estimate of the crop's daily water-use. This water-use, which includes both evaporation (water lost directly to the atmosphere from soil and plant surfaces) and transpiration (water transported from the soil to the atmosphere through plant tissues), is commonly referred to as evapotranspiration (ET) or consumptive-use. This presentation from the 'Four Corners Irrigation Workshop' (May 2, 2007) briefly describes consumptive-use and provides some direction on ET estimation for crops of local interest.