Location: Plant Physiology and Genetics Research
Title: Simulation of evapotranspiration and yield of maize: An inter-comparison among 41 maize modelsAuthor
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Kimball, Bruce |
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Thorp, Kelly |
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BOOTE, KENNETH - University Of Florida |
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STOCKLE, CLAUDIO - Washington State University |
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SUYKER, ANDREW - University Of Nebraska |
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Evett, Steven - Steve |
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Brauer, David |
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Coyle, Gwen |
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Copeland, Karen |
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Marek, Gary |
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Colaizzi, Paul |
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ACUTIS, MARCO - University Of Milan |
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ALIMAGHAM, SEYYEDMAJID - Gorgan University Of Agricultural Sciences And Natural Resources |
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ARCHONTOULIS, SOTIRIOS - Iowa State University |
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BABACAR, FAYE - Institute For Research And Development (IRD) |
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BARCZA, ZOLTAN - Eotvos Lorand University |
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BASSO, BRUNO - Michigan State University |
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BERTUZZI, PATRICK - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA) |
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CONSTANTIN, JULIE - University Of Toulouse |
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DE ANTONI MIGLIORATI, MASSIMILIANO - Queensland Government |
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DUMONT, BENJAMIN - University Of Liege |
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DURAND, JEAN-LOUIS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA) |
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FODOR, NANDOR - Czech University Of Life Sciences Prague |
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GAISER, THOMAS - University Of Bonn |
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GAROFALO, PASQUALE - Council For Agricultural Research And Ag Econcomy Analysis |
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GAYLER, SEBASTIAN - University Of Hohenheim |
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GIGLIO, LUISA - Council For Agricultural Research And Ag Econcomy Analysis |
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GRANT, ROBERT - University Of Alberta |
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GUAN, KAIYU - University Of Illinois |
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HOOGENBOOM, GERRIT - University Of Florida |
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JIANG, QIANJING - McGill University - Canada |
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KIM, SOO-HYUNG - University Of Washington |
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KISEKKA, ISAYA - University Of California, Davis |
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LIZASO, JON - Ciudad University - Spain |
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MASIA, SARA - Delft University |
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MENG, HUIMIN - China Agricultural University |
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MEREU, VALENTINA - Mediterranean Centre On Climate Change |
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MUKHTAR, AHMED - University Of Arid Agriculture |
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PEREGO, ALESSIA - University Of Milan |
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PENG, BIN - University Of Illinois |
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PRIESACK, ECKART - Helmholtz Centre |
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QI, ZHIMING - McGill University - Canada |
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SHELIA, VAKHTANG - University Of Florida |
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SNYDER, RICHARD - University Of California, Davis |
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SOLTANI, AFSHIN - Gorgan University Of Agricultural Sciences And Natural Resources |
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SPANO, DONATELLA - Mediterranean Centre On Climate Change |
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SRIVASTAVA, AMIT - University Of Bonn |
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THOMSON, AIMEE - University Of Pretoria |
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Timlin, Dennis |
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TRABUCCO, ANTONIO - Mediterranean Centre On Climate Change |
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WEBBER, HEIDI - Leibniz Centre |
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WEBER, TOBIAS - University Of Hohenheim |
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WILLAUME, MAGALI - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA) |
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WILLIAMS, KARINA - University Of Exeter |
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VAN DER LAAN, MICHAEL - University Of Pretoria |
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VENTRELLA, DOMENICO - Crea |
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VISWANATHAN, MICHELLE - University Of Hohenheim |
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XU, XU - China Agricultural University |
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ZHOU, WANG - University Of Illinois |
Submitted to: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 2/24/2023 Publication Date: 3/10/2023 Citation: Kimball, B.A., Thorp, K.R., Boote, K.J., Stockle, C., Suyker, A.E., Evett, S.R., Brauer, D.K., Coyle, G.G., Copeland, K.S., Marek, G.W., Colaizzi, P.D., Acutis, M., Alimagham, S., Archontoulis, S., Babacar, F., Barcza, Z., Basso, B., Bertuzzi, P., Constantin, J., De Antoni Migliorati, M., Dumont, B., Durand, J., Fodor, N., Gaiser, T., Garofalo, P., Gayler, S., Giglio, L., Grant, R., Guan, K., Hoogenboom, G., Jiang, Q., Kim, S., Kisekka, I., Lizaso, J., Masia, S., Meng, H., Mereu, V., Mukhtar, A., Perego, A., Peng, B., Priesack, E., Qi, Z., Shelia, V., Snyder, R., Soltani, A., Spano, D., Srivastava, A., Thomson, A., Timlin, D.J., Trabucco, A., Webber, H., Weber, T., Willaume, M., Williams, K., van der Laan, M., Ventrella, D., Viswanathan, M., Xu, X., Zhou, W. 2023. Simulation of evapotranspiration and yield of maize: An inter-comparison among 41 maize models. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 333. Article 109396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109396 Interpretive Summary: Crop growth models are useful tools for assisting in the management of agricultural crops as well as for predicting the likely effects of future climate change. An important aspect that determines the ability of crop growth models to simulate growth and yield is their ability to simulate the rate of water consumption or evapotranspiration (ET) of the crop, especially for rain-fed crops. If, for example, the simulated ET rate is too high, the simulated crop may exhaust its soil water supply before the next rain event, thereby causing growth and yield predictions that are too low. In a prior inter-comparison among 29 maize growth models, ET predictions varied widely, and there were some issues with the dataset used for the standard for comparison. Therefore, the study was repeated this time with 41 models using more comprehensive datasets from two locations -Mead, NE and Bushland, TX. Like the previous study, there was a significant variation among the models in their simulated ET. Nevertheless, several models performed well at simulating ET, as well as yield. Older, well-used models that have been tested over a wide range of conditions did best. Approaches used in the better models were identified. This research will help present-day and future farmers and agricultural researchers, and of course all food consumers. Technical Abstract: Accurate simulation of crop water use (evapotranspiration, ET) can help crop growth models to assess the likely effects of climate change on future crop productivity, as well as being an aid for irrigation scheduling for today’s growers. To determine how well maize growth models can simulate ET, an initial inter-comparison study was conducted in 2019 under the umbrella of AgMIP (Agricultural Model Inter-Comparison and Improvement Project). Herein, we present results of a second inter-comparison study of 41 maize models that was conducted using more comprehensive datasets from two additional sites - Mead, Nebraska, USA and Bushland, Texas, USA. There were 20 treatment-years with varying irrigation levels over multiple seasons at both sites. ET was measured using eddy covariance at Mead and using large weighing lysimeters at Bushland. A wide range in ET rates was simulated among the models, yet several generally were able to simulate ET rates adequately. The ensemble median values were generally close to the observations, but a few of the models sometimes performed better than the median. Many of the models that did well at simulating ET for the Mead site did poorly for drier, windy days at the Bushland site, suggesting they need to improve how they handle humidity and wind. Additional variability came from the approaches used to simulate soil water evaporation. Fortunately, several models were identified that did well at simulating soil water evaporation, canopy transpiration, biomass accumulation, and grain yield. These models were older and have been widely used, which suggests that a larger number of users have tested these models over a wider range of conditions leading to their improvement. These revelations of the better approaches are leading to model improvements and more accurate simulations of ET. |