Estimate of the alpha parameter in an oat crop under rain‐fed conditions

In this article, we estimated the alpha parameter of the Priestley–Taylor model under rain‐fed conditions. This study was conducted in an oat crop, from 7 September to 22 October 2009, in a region of subhumid plains (Tandil, Argentina). An energy balance station was installed within the experimental field to monitor its development. The alpha parameter value obtained was 1.41 ± 0.01, which led to an overestimation of the evapotranspiration of just 2% and a relative error in estimating evapotranspiration of 8%. The results suggest that the alpha parameter obtained is adequate in estimating the evapotranspiration of oat crops or similar crops in subhumid plains of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.