Performance evaluation of evapotranspiration estimation methods in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration plays a vital role in judicious irrigation scheduling. Keeping this view, study was undertaken to compare the performance five methods, viz. Penman method (PM), FAO Monteith (FAO-PM), Priestley-Taylor (PT), Radiation (FAO-RM) and Hargreaves methods (HM) for Sultanpur District Uttar Pradesh, India using daily weather data acquired from automatic station during 2016-17. The evaluation selected carried out linear regression simple statistical analysis suggest substitute FAO-PM reference minimal climatic parameters available at regional scales. It observed that PM performed best line with estimated ET0 by coefficient determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Absolute (MAE), Modified Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient (EMNS), Percent Bias (PBIAS) as 0.94, 0.54, 0.40, 0.73, 3.74 year 2016 0.95, 0.44, 0.36, 6.01 2017, respectively. Nonetheless, it form which requires four parameters, solar radiation, maximum minimum air temperature, wind speed can be require more scarce situations.