Knowledge of the current irrigation requirement of well-watered grass provides the basis for efficient scheduling of turf and landscape irrigation. A portable, miniature pan evaporimeter has been developed to conveniently provide this information for localized micro-climates. The underlying equation for the instrument is: IRnet = (Kpan • Epan - Kpan • R) where IRnet is the net irrigation requirement of healthy, non-stressed grass; Kpan is the pan coefficient for the instrument; Epan is accumulative pan evaporation; Kpan • Epan is “reference evapotranspiration”; and Kpan • R is a measure of effective rainfall received. This equation was established using turfgrass sites located throughout the Pacific Northwest over a 3-year period. The sites were in proximity to U.S. Class “A” pan evaporimeters, and were automatically irrigated using moisture sensors. Tests of the miniature evaporimeter against automated meteorological stations have determined the factors that influence its pan coefficient, and therefore its ultimate design.
686 PB 230 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MINIATURE PAN EVAPORIMETER FOR GAUGING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND EFFECTIVE RAINFALL