SILAGE MAIZE GROWTH SIMULATION USING PILOTE AND CROPSYST MODEL

Models simulating the effects of water stress on crop growth can be valuable tools for improving water management. PILOTE, an operative crop model, and CropSyst, a more sophisticated one, are compared on the basis of the simulation of silage maize (Zea maize L.) growth for 2 years (2009–2010) under different water supply regimes in the semi-arid climate of Tadla (Morocco). Both based on Beer's law via the intercepted potential active radiation (IPAR) regarding dry matter accumulation, the models differ in the level of complexity describing crop development, biomass growth, root water uptake principle and consequently, in the number of input parameters. The models were calibrated on an unstressed irrigation treatment in 2009, and were validated on other stressed and unstressed treatments in 2009 and 2010. Although PILOTE required fewer input parameters and data than CropSyst, it performed similarly and often better when simulating both biomass and soil water balance. Therefore, for water management purposes only, the use of a simpler model such as PILOTE can be recommended. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  Marie-Odile Jordan,et al.  Harmonisation des notations concernant la description morphologique d'un pied de maïs (Zea mays L.) , 1986 .

[2]  John R. Williams,et al.  A modeling approach to determining the relationship between erosion and soil productivity [EPIC, Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator, mathematical models] , 1984 .

[3]  J. T. Musick,et al.  Irrigated Corn Yield Response to Water , 1980 .

[4]  J. Ritchie,et al.  OILCROP-SUN: A Development, Growth, and Yield Model of the Sunflower Crop , 1996 .

[5]  Gaylon S. Campbell,et al.  Soil physics with BASIC , 1985 .

[6]  J. Doorenbos,et al.  Yield response to water , 1979 .

[7]  L. S. Pereira,et al.  Crop evapotranspiration : guidelines for computing crop water requirements , 1998 .

[8]  Claudio O. Stöckle,et al.  Evaluation of CropSyst for cropping systems at two locations of northern and southern Italy , 1997 .

[9]  Philippe Debaeke,et al.  EPICphase, a version of the EPIC model simulating the effects of water and nitrogen stress on biomass and yield, taking account of developmental stages: validation on maize, sunflower, sorghum, soybean and winter wheat , 1999 .

[10]  C. B. Tanner,et al.  Efficient Water Use in Crop Production: Research or Re‐Search? , 2015 .

[11]  C. Stöckle,et al.  Assessment of AquaCrop, CropSyst, and WOFOST models in the simulation of sunflower growth under different water regimes. , 2009 .

[12]  C. Priestley,et al.  On the Assessment of Surface Heat Flux and Evaporation Using Large-Scale Parameters , 1972 .

[13]  Luca Bechini,et al.  A preliminary evaluation of the simulation model CropSyst for alfalfa , 2004 .

[14]  Keith L. Bristow,et al.  Simulating Water Movement in Layered and Gradational Soils Using the Kirchhoff Transform , 1990 .

[15]  Claudio O. Stöckle,et al.  Comparison of CropSyst performance for water management in southwestern France using submodels of different levels of complexity , 1997 .

[16]  J. M. McKinion,et al.  Crop Modeling and Applications: A Cotton Example , 1997 .

[17]  M. Cabelguenne,et al.  Strategies for Limited Irrigations of Maize in Southwestern France – A Modeling Approach , 1995 .

[18]  Claudio O. Stöckle,et al.  CropSyst, a cropping systems simulation model: Water/nitrogen budgets and crop yield☆ , 1994 .

[19]  J. Monteith.  Climate and the efficiency of crop production in Britain , 1977 .

[20]  C. Stöckle,et al.  CropSyst, a cropping systems simulation model , 2003 .

[21]  J. C. Mailhol,et al.  Analysis of irrigation systems and irrigation strategies for durum wheat in Tunisia , 2004 .

[22]  Ronald D. Lacewell,et al.  Simulating Corn Yield Response to Irrigation Timings: Validation of the Epic Model , 1992 .

[23]  Simulation of growth and yield of the potato crop , 1984, Potato Research.

[24]  B. R. Singh,et al.  Agronomic and physiological responses of sorghum, maize and pearl millet to irrigation , 1995 .

[25]  Sami Bouarfa,et al.  Irrigation furrow system: A technique to improve drainage and water productivity in the Gharb plain, Morocco† , 2009 .

[26]  J. Mailhol,et al.  Sorghum and sunflower evapotranspiration and yield from simulated leaf area index , 1997 .

[27]  Anne Merot,et al.  SPFC: a tool to improve water management and hay production in the Crau region , 2007, Irrigation Science.

[28]  Terry A. Howell,et al.  Sprinkler Irrigation Management for Corn — Southern Great Plains , 1989 .

[29]  S. Recous,et al.  STICS : a generic model for the simulation of crops and their water and nitrogen balances. I. Theory, and parameterization applied to wheat and corn , 1998 .

[30]  L. Brunel,et al.  Évaluation en partenariat des stratégies d’irrigation en cas de restriction des prélèvements dans la nappe de Beauce (France) , 2011 .

[31]  Jean-Claude Mailhol,et al.  Adapting PILOTE model for water and yield management under direct seeding system: The case of corn and durum wheat in a Mediterranean context , 2009 .