Sugarcane is one of the main agro-industrial crops in Nicaragua and Central America and one of the crops with the highest evapotranspiration rates. The lack of information related to sugarcane evapotranspiration as well as the crop coefficient (Kc) has limited productivity and water resources in Nicaragua. The knowledge of crop coefficient and water requirement for sugarcane, developed locally, will guide companies, farmers, and technicians for better irrigation management. In this context, this study aimed to determine the crop evapotranspiration and Kc for sugarcane in Nicaragua and to compare the results with those suggested by FAO. The study was performed in a field experiment at the Casur Sugarcane mill in Nicaragua, where the sugarcane was cultivated in a vertisol with a furrow irrigation method. The reference evapotranspiration was estimated using the Penman–Monteith FAO approach, and the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was determined using the field water balance method. During the crop season, the total ETc was 1346.6 mm, resulting in a 0.90 average of Kc. The determined Kc for initial, tillering, grand growth and maturity was 0.37, 0.91, 1.11, and 0.71, respectively. The Kc proposed by FAO showed values 11.11% higher than that obtained in this study. These results highlight the importance of determining the Kc values at a local scale, parameters that guide irrigation management to use the water resources efficiently.

甘蔗是尼加拉瓜和中美洲的主要农工业作物之一，也是蒸散率最高的作物之一。由于缺乏与甘蔗蒸散量以及作物系数 (Kc) 相关的信息，尼加拉瓜的生产力和水资源受到限制。当地开发的关于甘蔗作物系数和需水量的知识将指导公司、农民和技术人员更好地进行灌溉管理。在此背景下，本研究旨在确定尼加拉瓜甘蔗的作物蒸散量和 Kc，并将结果与​​粮农组织建议的结果进行比较。这项研究是在尼加拉瓜卡苏尔甘蔗厂的田间试验中进行的，该厂的甘蔗采用沟灌方法在变性土中种植。使用 Penman-Monteith FAO 方法估算参考蒸散量，并使用田间水平衡法确定作物蒸散量 (ETc)。作物季节期间，ETc 总量为 1346.6 毫米，Kc 平均值为 0.90。确定的初始、分蘖、盛大和成熟的 Kc 分别为 0.37、0.91、1.11 和 0.71。粮农组织提出的 Kc 值比本研究中获得的值高出 11.11%。这些结果凸显了确定当地规模的 Kc 值的重要性，这些参数可指导灌溉管理有效利用水资源。