Paper Details

Simulation of sugarbeet growth under different water egimes and nitrogen levels by aqua crop

Reza Alishiri, Farzad Paknejad, Fayaz Aghayari

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.12692/ijb/4.4.1-9

Int. J. Biosci. 4(4), 1-9. February, 2014. (PDF)

Abstract:

Precise crop growth models are important tools in assessment the effects of water deficits on crop yield or productivity and predicting yields to optimize irrigation under limited available water for enhanced sustainability and profitable production. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of United Nations addresses this need by providing a yield response to water simulation model (AquaCrop) with limited complexity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the AquaCrop model for its ability to simulate sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) performance under full and deficit water conditions and two nitrogen levels in a dry environment in center of Iran. The AquaCrop model was evaluated with experimental data collected during the field experiment conducted in Markazi province. The AquaCrop model was able to accurately simulate crop biomass, root yield and canopy cover, with normalized Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) less than 18% for non-water-stress or mild water stress condition. The most deviation in simulation of root yield was in treatment of highest water stress and low nitrogen level (I9N100). Canopy cover was simulated good enough in almost all of treatment but same trend as root yield observed. The ease of use of the AquaCrop model, the low requirement of input parameters and its sufficient degree of simulation accuracy make it a valuable tool for estimating crop productivity under rainfed conditions, supplementary and deficit irrigation and on-farm water management strategies for improving the efficiency of water use in agriculture.