Abstract

LASPRILLA V, Richard; MEJIA DE TAFUR, Sara; TORRES PRIETO, Enrique A.  and  MONDRAGON VALENCIA, Víctor Alfonso. Do mesh houses influence reference evapotranspiration (ETo)?. Acta Agron. [online]. 2022, vol.71, n.1, pp.47-54.  Epub Apr 25, 2023. ISSN 0120-2812.  https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v71n1.96491.

Mesh houses are an alternative that allows farmers not only to protect their crops from pests and diseases but also to reduce the application of agrochemicals. These mesh houses are generally built in an anti-trip net which prevent the access of insects thus protecting the crop. As expected, mesh houses generate a microclimate inside, which could lead to a change in the water needs of the crop. However, there are no studies in Colombia that quantify the changes produced inside these mesh houses in meteorological variables. This study used two meteorological stations and two cenirrometer on a reference surface, locating a cenirrometer and a station inside the mesh house and the other two outside, with the aim of observing the influence of the mesh house on the evapotranspiration of the cenirrometers and the reference evapotranspiration or ETo. The results showed that inside the mesh house, wind speed, relative humidity and solar radiation were reduced, and temperature increased. These changes generated the reduction of ETo by 20 % and the evaporation of the cenirrometer by 27 %, so it is concluded that mesh houses are an option to reduce water consumption of crops.

Keywords : cenirrometer; evapotranspiration; porous screens; Valle del Cauca; meteorological variables.

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