Crop coefficient of pomegranate in the Comarca Lagunera

Abstract

For agricultural development, water is the most important thing, so today farmers are looking for crops that have some degree of resistance to drought and high economic value such as pomegranate, however, there is poor literature on its production. The Crop Coefficient (Kc) helps us determine the water requirement during plant development, which is critical for reducing production costs and saving water. The objective of this study was to know the Kc during the phenological development of the pomegranate, in an orchard located in the municipality of Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico, using 8 Landsat satellite images and geographic information systems. The estimation of Kc based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), was performed as proposed by Calera (2016). The KC values obtained range from 0.33 to 0.65. Its evolution with satellite images is consistent according to the development stages of the crop. The relationship between the NDVI and KC may be a promising tool for farmers to estimate water use of pomegranate trees on a regional scale based on satellite imagery.