Determination of crop coefficient (Kc) and water use efficiency for irrigated rosemary peppermint

The aim of this study was to determine the crop coefficient (Kc), water use efficiency (WUE) of the Lippia sidoides Cham. contemplating the production of biomass and essential oil and growth parameters. The experiment was conducted in drainage lysimeter at the Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, at Montes Claros, MG. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with the treatments corresponding to seven water depths (0.5; 0.75; 1.0; 1.2; 1.4; 1.65 and 1.9 ETo), and three replications. The potential evapotranspiration of reference used in the calculation of the irrigation was obtained by the Penman Monteith method. The treatments were submitted to regression analysis. The results indicate that Lippia sidoides Cham has a positive response with increased water depth applied. The treatment 6 (1.65 ETo) was the one with the highest efficiency rate of water use, with 1.26 kg m(-3) for the production of fresh weight as a function of the water depth. The yield of essential oil was 59.12 kg ha(-1) at 120 days after transplanting, for treatment 7 (1,9 ETo). The mean crop coefficients (Kc) determined throughout the crop cycle ranged from 0.98 in the initial phase, 1.20 and 1.52 in vegetative growth during flowering.