SIMULAÇÃO DE UM CICLO DA CULTURA DA MELANCIA UTILIZANDO O SOFTWARE SWET

Drip irrigation is one of the most efficient method s forapplyingwaterto a crop, capable of deliv- ering water at a rate close to the demand. Many eff orts have been required to estimate the amount of w ater needed by plants. Therefore studying soil water ext raction by plants linked to mathematical modeling f or be- havior prediction, and linked to computational reso urces to allow complex mathematical procedures to b e real- ized in a short space of time, becomes a powerful a nd necessary alternative for the understanding and quantifi- cation of the involved processes. Simulations were performed through a computational model, with the purpose of estimating the crop coefficient (K c ) of watermelon in the region of Mossoró-RN, using a three-dimensional macroscopic root water uptake model, which solves t he sink term of the Richards equation. The simulati ons results were compared with an experiment that estim ated the K c using lysimeter. The results of Kc estimated by the model showed a good agreement with lysimeter re sults in all chosen statistical indexes, indicating that the model can serve as a tool for predicting transpirat ion and evaporation of soil water under certain con ditions, and as a tool to aid the irrigation management.