Improving Crop Production by Field Management Strategies using Water Driven Crop Model

• Main Author: Meysam ABEDINPOUR
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Walailak University 2016-04-01
• Series: Walailak Journal of Science and Technology
• Subjects: Aquacrop model; calibration; Gorgan; soybean; deficit irrigation
• Online Access: http://wjst.wu.ac.th/index.php/wjst/article/view/2072

Irrigation water is a major limiting factor in agricultural production. Crop growth simulation models of varying complexity have been developed for predicting the effects of water, soil, and nutrients on the grain and biomass yields and water productivity of different crops. Hence, a field experiment was conducted at Gorgan city in Iran to calibrate a water productivity model, Aquacrop, for soybean, in 2011. Irrigation applications comprised irrigation at (W1): 60 %, (W2): 70 %, (W3): 80 %, and (W4): 100 % of field capacity (FC). The results showed that the simulated water productivity (WP), biomass yield (BY), and grain yield (GY) using the Aquacrop model were consistent with the measured GY, BY, and WP, with corresponding coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.96, 0.90, and 0.87, respectively. The root mean square error (RMSE) and model efficiency (E) for GY and BY ranged from 0.87 to 0.96, 0.1 to 1.2, and 0.87 to 0.96, respectively. Therefore, the Aquacrop model is a useful decision making tool for use in efforts to optimize soybean irrigation management.