Basal crop coefficients for early-season peach trees

► The basal crop coefficient (Kcb) for early season peach trees ranged from 0.15 to 1.0. ► Kcb follows a bell shape pattern linked to the phenological stages and the canopy size. ► The curvilinear pattern of Kcb offered an improvement over the linear FAO model. ► Kcb could be adopted for irrigation scheduling in drip irrigated peach trees.