Agroclimatic modeling of the water requirement of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) crop in the Cesar department, Colombia ; Modelación agroclimática del requerimiento hídrico del cultivo de palma de aceite (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) en el departamento del Cesar, Colombia

The limited availability of water in the Cesar department (Colombia), along with the high-water consumption associated with the lack of knowledge of water requirements and the low efficiency of irrigation systems in the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) crop, has led to an inefficient use of water resources and affected the crop productivity. The main objective of this research was to determine the water demand of oil palm cultivated in areas with homogeneous agroclimatic conditions in the Cesar department. For this purpose, climatic information of the department was obtained from meteorological stations and climatic satellite data. The water demand was also determined by obtaining the crop coefficient (Kc) for plants aged 10 and 15 years, using the water balance methodology. The Kc obtained was 0.91 and 0.84, respectively. As a result of the zoning, 10 agroclimatic zones were identified in the department, of which 8 were found to be suitable for oil palm cultivation. In these zones, water requirements are expected to be homogeneous due to similar soil and climate characteristics. This information was used to estimate the regional water balance, allowing farmers to plan water management and optimize the use of available resources. ; La limitada disponibilidad de agua en el departamento del Cesar (Colombia) y los elevados consumos de agua asociados al desconocimiento del requerimiento hídrico sumado a sistemas de riego de baja eficiencia en el cultivo de la palma de aceite (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), han incidido en un uso ineficiente del recurso hídrico y en la afectación de la productividad del cultivo. El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue determinar la demanda hídrica del cultivo de la palma de aceite en zonas con condiciones agroclimáticas homogéneas en el departamento del Cesar. Para esto se obtuvo la información climática del departamento mediante estaciones meteorológicas y datos climáticos satelitales. También se determinó la demanda hídrica de este cultivo mediante la obtención del coeficiente del ...