Keywords
crop growth and development, phenology, seedling emergence, modeling, scale
Start Date
1-7-2006 12:00 AM
Abstract
Agricultural models and decision support systems (DSS) for assessing water quality and management are increasingly being applied to diverse geographic regions at different scales. This requires models that can simulate many different common and alternative crops. However, very few plant growth models are available that “easily” can simulate the growth of many crops, and these models lack the scientific detail incorporated into crop-specific models. One option available is a suite of plant growth models based on the original plant growth model used in the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model. Various versions of the original EPIC plant growth model have been used in other models such as the Great Plains Framework for Agricultural Resource Management (GPFARM) DSS, Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model, Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and the Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) model. While these versions are quite similar, slight improvements have been made for specific model objectives. Unfortunately, improvements to individual models have generally not been incorporated into the other models. This paper discusses efforts to develop the Unified Plant Growth Model (UPGM) from existing EPIC-based plant growth models, recode and modularize the UPGM, and then enhance specific sub-modules (e.g., phenology, seedling emergence) for improved overall model predictive accuracy. Several issues involved with developing this generic plant growth model are also covered including developing default plant parameters, needed improvements for simulating many diverse agricultural management practices across different soils and environments (while keeping the model simple to use), and evaluation of both specific sub-modules and overall plant growth model.
Multi-Crop Plant Growth Modeling from Field to Watershed for Water Quality and Management
Agricultural models and decision support systems (DSS) for assessing water quality and management are increasingly being applied to diverse geographic regions at different scales. This requires models that can simulate many different common and alternative crops. However, very few plant growth models are available that “easily” can simulate the growth of many crops, and these models lack the scientific detail incorporated into crop-specific models. One option available is a suite of plant growth models based on the original plant growth model used in the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model. Various versions of the original EPIC plant growth model have been used in other models such as the Great Plains Framework for Agricultural Resource Management (GPFARM) DSS, Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model, Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and the Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) model. While these versions are quite similar, slight improvements have been made for specific model objectives. Unfortunately, improvements to individual models have generally not been incorporated into the other models. This paper discusses efforts to develop the Unified Plant Growth Model (UPGM) from existing EPIC-based plant growth models, recode and modularize the UPGM, and then enhance specific sub-modules (e.g., phenology, seedling emergence) for improved overall model predictive accuracy. Several issues involved with developing this generic plant growth model are also covered including developing default plant parameters, needed improvements for simulating many diverse agricultural management practices across different soils and environments (while keeping the model simple to use), and evaluation of both specific sub-modules and overall plant growth model.
