| ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify homogeneous rainfall zones in the winter and summer 1st and 2nd crops, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The zones were defined by clustering using the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to transform seasonal rainfall series. Monthly average rainfall data collected from 157 weather stations for 20 years (1996 to 2015) were employed. The results show that the number of homogeneous zones varied among growing seasons. The summer crop presented two clusters, with rainfall averages of 1489 and 1925 mm; the second crop presented four clusters, with averages of 1849, 1004, 1454, and 1182 mm; and the winter crop had three clusters, with averages of 969, 1498, and 1171 mm. Clustering was a useful instrument to... |
