Concepts and Applications of AquaCrop: The FAO Crop Water Productivity Model

Steduto, P and Raes, D and Hsiao, T C and Fereres, E and Heng, L K and Howell, T A and Evett, S R and Rojas-Lara, B A and Farahan, H J and Izzi, G and Oweis, T Y and Wani, S P and Hoogeveen, J and Geerts, S (2013) Concepts and Applications of AquaCrop: The FAO Crop Water Productivity Model. In: Crop Modeling and Decision Support. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 175-191. ISBN 978-3-642-01132-0

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Abstract

Predicting attainable yield under water-limiting conditions is an important goal in arid, semi-arid and drought-prone environments. To address this task, FAO has developed a model, AquaCrop, which simulates attainable yields of the major herbaceous crops in response to water. Compared to other models, AquaCrop has a significantly smaller number of parameters and attempts to strike a balance between simplicity, accuracy, and robustness. Root zone water content is simulated by keeping track of incoming and outgoing water fluxes. Instead of leaf area index, AquaCrop uses canopy ground cover. Canopy expansion, stomatal conductance, canopy senescence, and harvest index are the key physiological processes which respond to water stress. Low and high temperature stresses on pollination and harvestable yield are considered, as is cold temperature stress on biomass production. Evapotranspiration is simulated separately as crop transpiration and soil evaporation and the daily transpiration is used to calculate the biomass gain via the normalized biomass water productivity. The normalization is for atmospheric evaporative demand and carbon dioxide concentration, to make the model applicable to diverse locations and seasons, including future climate scenarios. AquaCrop accommodates fertility levels and water management systems, including rainfed, supplemental, deficit, and full irrigation. Simulations are routinely in thermal time, but can be carried out in calendar time. Future versions will incorporate salt balance and capillary raise. AquaCrop is aimed at users in extension services, consulting firms, governmental agencies, NGOs, farmers associations and irrigation districts, as well as economists and policy analysts in need of crop models for planning and assessing water needs and use of projects and regions.

Item Type:	Book Section
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	crop modeling, water-driven, growth-engine, transpiration and biomass water stress
Subjects:	Others > Watershed Management Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
Depositing User:	Mr Sanat Kumar Behera
Date Deposited:	08 Aug 2013 09:23
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2013 09:23
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/7045
Acknowledgement:	The Authors would like to acknowledge: Arianna Facchi, V. Nageswara Rao, and Piara Singh, for their contribution of the soybean data for AquaCrop calibration; Magali Garcia, Roberto Miranda, Jorge A. Cusicanqui, Cristal Taboada, Richard Mamani, Jorge Mendoza, Ruben Huanca, and Teddious Mhizha for their contribution to the quinoa AquaCrop calibration and testing
Links:	Google Scholar

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