Anil Nath, A.P. Karunakar, Arvind Kumar, Ajit Yadav, Sumit Chaudhary and Samar Pal Singh
Abstract
Crop simulation models are valuable research tools in agricultural decision making. In order to increase its general applicability, models need to be evaluated in diverse conditions. To achieve this, the CROPGRO Soybean model (DSSAT v 4.5) was evaluated for the diverse environment of akola region of Vidarbha, India for the soybean cultivar JS-335, JS-9305 and TAMS 98-21. The genetic coefficients for the soybean varieties JS-335, JS-9305 and TAMS 98-21 were determined with the GLUE coefficient estimator embedded in the DSSAT v 4.5 model using data collected during the experiment. Genetic coefficients were used to simulate the response of various cultivars to weather and management conditions. The observed experimental data were compared with the model simulation results. The evaluation of the model on an overall basis revealed that the model simulation performance in respect of phenological phases was found to be highly reliable. The model predicted the seed yield reliably in JS-335 and TAMS-9821. Straw yield was overestimated to a greater degree in JS-335 and JS-9305 and reliably in TAMS 98-21. This application can be further validated more and also be useful for sensitivity analysis under climate change scenario.