Performance of the reference evapotranspiration estimating methods for the Mantiqueira range region, MG, Brazil/Desempenho de metodos de estimativa da evapotranspiracao de referencia para a regiao da Serra da Mantiqueira, MG

The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimating methods, in daily and monthly intervals, considering the rainy-summer (October to March) and dry-winter (April to September) seasons, in 2007 and 2008, in Mantiqueira range region, MG. To evaluate the performance methods were considered: the correlation (r) and determination ([r.sup.2]) coefficients, Willmott agreement (d), e Camargo & Sentelhas performance (c) and standard error estimate (SEE), taking Penman-Monteith-FAO as reference. It was verified that the methods based on solar radiation were more accurate than those based only on air temperature. Jensen-Haise, Radiation FAO, Penman and Blaney-Criddle FAO have produced better estimates in both seasons, obtaining good reliability on ETo estimate for the region, presenting "high" and "very good" performance. Jensen-Haise, Radiation FAO and Blaney-Criddle FAO are the most indicated methods in daily scale to the Mantiqueira range region due to present simpler mathematical structure and good performance, while the Jensen-Haise method presented the smallest standard error for the monthly scale.