Estimation Of Water Requirements Of Early And Late Season Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum) In Umudike Southeastern Nigeria, Using Penman’s Equation

Abstract

The estimation of water requirements of tomato was carried out based on 10 years meteorological data in Umudike Southeastern Nigeria, typical of the humid tropical zone. The climatic data used to calculate the crop evapotranspiration (ETo) for estimation of water requirement of tomatoes were obtained from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NOAA/NCEP) under the National Weather Service, United States of America using Penman’s equation. Results obtained showed that the crop evapotranspiration (ETo) value for early tomato (April - July) was 429.6mm while late season was 375.4mm. Irrigation water requirement was zero for tomato which shows that there was no water deficit. Therefore, no Supplementary irrigation is necessary for tomato in Umudike but there may be need for irrigation to guide against water stress of tomatoes to supplement rain water in late season in the study area.