The knowledge of information that expresses the water requirement of the plants is a fundamental issue for the irrigation process. The objective of this research was to analyze the water requirement in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, represented by the evapotranspiration reference (ET0), during the year. The ET0 values were estimated through the Penman-Monteith-FAO method starting from daily data originated by the registration of 42 climatological stations of the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) referring to a period of 17 years (1961 to 1978). In general, the results showed that the evapotranspiration reference is plenty variable in Minas Gerais, reaching medium values from 914 to 1.677 mm year-1. The largest variations, such as spatial and temporal, are registered in the north part of the State, where happen the greatest values of ET0. The Minas Gerais State presents a annual water deficit in approximately 50% of its total area. The months that presented the greatest and smallest water requirements in the State were January and June, respectively. According to the clear distinction that presented the data of mapping ET0 in the different regions in the Minas Gerais State, it becames obsvouly that the knowledge of the correct ET0 values in each locality will bring much benefit to farm-producers in the irrigation scheduling.
Meteorology; geoprocessing
