DETERMINATION OF THE WATER REQUIREMENTS OF GARLIC (Alium sativum l.) AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CROP'S DEVELOPMENT

Despite the importance of garlic (Allium sativum L.), there is not enough information available about the water requirements for garlic crop in the country. The present study is to identify the crop water requirements for each phenological stage and set a watering schedule according to environmental conditions offered in Tunja-Boyaca. This research was conducted during the first half of 2013, on the farm called "La Maria", which is located in the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia. The assessment of the phenological stages in garlic was developed through a stratified sampling design and a destructive sampling design, which were carried out every 7 days after transplant. The value of Kc was determined through the FAO-56 methodology, in which the method was used to find the crop evapotranspiration. In order to establish crop water use, two lysimeters of 1 m3 of capacity were installed. The result of ETo was obtained through the weather station data, these data were analyzed with the Penman-Monteith equation, using the Cropwat software. Three phenological stages for growing garlic (Allium sativum L.) were established, from the transplant to the harvest. These stages were: vegetative Growth and development, Bulb initiation and Maturation. Kc values for each phenological stage were 0.95, 0.97 and 0.68 respectively.