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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #80896
Title: MAIZE AND SORGHUM SIMULATION IN DIVERSE TEXAS ENVIRONMENTS

Author
item Kiniry, James
item BOCKHOLT, A. - TAMU, COLLEGE STATION

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Crop models valuable for decision making should reasonably simulate grain yields across a wide range of soils and climate regimes. Our objective was to demonstrate simulation of corn and sorghum grain yields with the ALMANAC model and simulation of corn yields with the CERES-Maize model. We tested the models at nine locations in Texas for corn and tested ALMANAC at eight locations for sorghum. Simulated grain yields were compared to measured grain yields from yield performance trials for 1991 to 1995. We used characteristics for the appropriate soil type for each site and used measured weather. Mean simulated grain yield for each site was nearly always within 10% of the mean measured grain yield for the location. The models realistically simulated the pooled grain yield data. Values for plant parameters and soil parameters described in this paper offer users reasonable inputs for simulating corn and sorghum grain yields at similar locations.

Technical Abstract: Crop models valuable for decision making should reasonably simulate grain yields across a wide range of soils and climate regimes. Our objective was to demonstrate how the ALMANAC (Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria) model and a new version of CERES-Maize (Crop-Environment Resource Synthesis) simulated rainfed and irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yields. We tested the models at nine locations in Texas for maize and tested ALMANAC at eight locations for sorghum. Simulated grain yields were compared to measured grain yields from yield performance trials for 1991 to 1995. We used the appropriate soil for each site and used measured weather. Mean simulated grain yield for each county was nearly always within 10% of the mean measured grain yield for the location. The models realistically simulated the pooled grain yield data. Values for plant parameters such as the harvest index, the heat units for development, and values for soil parameters describing soil water holding capacity offer users reasonable inputs for simulating maize and sorghum grain yields at similar locations.