ATMOMETER ASSEMBLIES, A COMPARISON

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Abstract
The field performance of six different atmometer assemblies was determined during the growing seasons of 1956 to 1959. The black Bellani plate atmometer equipped with Livingston-Thone wool mercury valve was used as standard. Other black Bellani assemblies involved Shive's mercury U-tube valve, fritted glass valve, and two different mounts using plastic shields instead of valves. An assembly functioning on the principle of a Piché atmometer and using a black porous disc as absorbent pad was also tested.The daily response of all valve-equipped atmometers to changing meteorological conditions was essentially the same. Since the U-tube and fritted glass valves were free from blockage by foreign matter, assemblies having them proved superior to the standard. However, these valve types did not solve the difficulty of priming. The use of shields to avoid this difficulty increased the evaporation rate and atmometers so equipped responded significantly differently from the standard. The black porous disc assembly also lost more water by evaporation than the standard but its response was not significantly different from the conventional assembly. Since the black porous disc mount has neither valve nor shield it is easier to maintain and operate than the other assemblies. It proved also less susceptible to frost damage.

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