Working Document Series Open Access 2010 RUF-35202

Determination of crop coefficient of local barley cultivar in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia using drums

Alemie ArayaFantahun. Sisay

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Abstract

153 words

Barley is a major staple food crop in the highlands of northern Ethiopia. The crop is used for preparing various types of traditional foods. Barley yield over the northern Ethiopia is severely affected mainly due to water stress. To minimize the problem, household ponds were constructed to supplement rain water. However management of this irrigation water is very poor because the crop coefficient of the local barley is not known. To measure crop coefficient, lysimeters are needed. Unfortunately they are not available in Ethiopia. A locally made lysimeter was designed and installed in 2010 in northern Ethiopia to measure the evapotranspiration and determine the crop coefficient for barley. Preliminary results showed that the seasonal evapotranspiration of barley was 375 mm which is similar to many other cereal crops in the region. The one year single crop coefficient values for early, vegetative, mid and late crop stages were 0.7, 0.85 1.05 and 0.6 respectively.

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