Ashemi (2026) Evaluation of empirical reference evapotranspiration estimation methods in the Ziway Area, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Gebeyehu Ashemi
• DOI: 10.46909/alse-592215

Research Groups

• Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
• Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC)

Short Summary

This study evaluated the performance of four empirical reference evapotranspiration (ETO) estimation methods against the FAO-56 Penman–Monteith benchmark in the Ziway area, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. The Modified Penman method demonstrated the best agreement with the benchmark.

Objective

• Evaluate the performance of four empirical ETO estimation methods (Blaney-Criddle, Hargreaves, Radiation, and Modified Penman) against the FAO-56 Penman–Monteith benchmark in the Ziway area.
• Determine suitable ETO estimation methods for irrigation planning under semi-arid conditions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local scale (Ziway area, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia)
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (1990-2023)

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • FAO-56 Penman–Monteith method (benchmark)
  • Blaney-Criddle method
  • Hargreaves method
  • Radiation method
  • Modified Penman method
• Data sources: Meteorological data from the Ziway Meteorological Station

Main Results

• The FAO-56 Penman–Monteith method produced the highest ETO estimates for most months of the year.
• The Modified Penman method demonstrated the best agreement with the benchmark, while the Radiation method consistently underestimated ETO.

Contributions

• This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of empirical ETO estimation methods in the Ziway area, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia.
• The results highlight the importance of selecting suitable ETO estimation methods for irrigation planning under semi-arid conditions.

Funding

• No external funding was received for this study.

Citation

@article{Ashemi2026Evaluation,
  author = {Ashemi, Gebeyehu},
  title = {Evaluation of empirical reference evapotranspiration estimation methods in the Ziway Area, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia},
  journal = {Journal of Applied Life Sciences and Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.46909/alse-592215},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.46909/alse-592215}
}