417Reference evapotranspiration based on class a pan evaporation Scientia Agricola, v.59, n.3, p.417-420, jul./set. 2002 REFERENCE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION BASED ON CLASS A PAN EVAPORATION

ABSTRACT: Estimating reference evapotranspiration (ETo) based on Class A pan evaporation (ECA) is very usual in irrigated areas. For this purpose the ECA values are multiplied by a pan coefficient (Kp) to obtain ETo. Kp values can be estimated in different ways being, however, important to know which method would estimate the best value for a given locality. In the present work estimated values of ETo based on Class A pan evaporation, using Kp values determined by different methods, were compared to Penman-Monteith-FAO (EToPM) values for the northwest region of the São Paulo State, Brazil. The annual average Kp, determined dividing EToPM by ECA, was 0.74. For the rainy months (December to March) the average Kp value was 0.80 and for the dry months (April to November) 0.70. The reference evapotranspiration estimated using Kp determined by the Snyder equation presented the best regression coefficients when compared to EToPM