Spatial analysis of the influence of meteorological elements on the reference evapotranspiration in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

In general the methodologies most used and recommended to estimate crop water requirements are based on meteorological data. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of some meteorological elements on reference evapotrasnpiration (ET0) estimate in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The values of ET0 were estimated daily by the Penman-Monteith-FAO method, using daily data over a period of 17 years. The influence of each meteorological element on ET0 values was determined by sensitivity tests and interpolated map analysis for each element under study. The results showed that the reference evapotranspiration is very variable in Minas Gerais, with annual average values between 2.51 to 4.59 mm d(-1). The sensitivity analysis showed a high variation effect of meteorological elements in ET0 in Minas Gerais, with high sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit, wind speed and radiation. The radiation was the most important meteorological element, with the highest influence in ET0.