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The Wang and Engel (WE) model simulates crop development considering the non-linear response of plant development to temperature. Daily air temperature is the input for the temperature response function [f(T)] in the WE model, and because there are several approaches for computing daily temperatures, there are several ways to calculate the f(T). The objective of this study was to compare two versions of the WE model for simulating leaf number and developmental stages in maize, considering two approaches for imputing daily air temperature (daily mean air temperature and daily minimum/maximum air temperature). A two-year field experiment with the maize variety BRS Missões sown in several sowing dates was conducted in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 growing seasons. The f(T) in the WE model was calculated using daily mean air temperature calculated as the arithmetic average of daily minimum (TN) and maximum (TX) air temperatures (WE Tmean), and calculating an f(T) using TN and an f(T) using TX and then averaging the two f(T)s (WE Tmm). Ligule and tip leaf number, and silking and physiological maturity developmental stages measured in the 2005-2006 growing season were used to estimate model coefficients and the ones measured in the 2006-2007 growing season were used as independent data sets to evaluate models. Predictions of ligule and tip leaf number, silking and physiological maturity of the maize variety BRS Missões were better with the WE Tmm model than with the WE Tmean model.O modelo Wang e Engel (WE) simula o desenvolvimento das culturas considerando uma resposta não-linear do desenvolvimento das plantas à temperatura. A temperatura diária do ar é o dado de entrada na função de resposta à temperatura [f(T)] no modelo WE e, em função de haver várias maneiras de calcular a temperatura diária, há várias maneiras de calcular a f(T). O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar duas versões do modelo WE para a simulação do número de folhas e dos estágios de desenvolvimento em milho, considerando dois métodos de entrada da temperatura diária do ar (temperatura média diária do ar e temperatura mínima/máxima diária do ar). Um experimento de campo com a variedade de milho BRS Missões, semeado em várias datas de semeadura, foi conduzido em Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, durante os anos agrícolas 2005-2006 e 2006-2007. A f(T) no modelo WE foi calculada usando-se a temperatura média diária do ar calculada pela média aritmética das temperaturas mínima (TN) e máxima (TX) diárias do ar (WE Tmean) e pela média de f(T) usando TN e pela de f(T) usando TX (WE Tmm). O número de folhas expandidas e totais e os estágios de desenvolvimento (embonecamento e maturidade fisiológica) coletados no ano agrícola 2005-2006 foram usados para estimarem-se os coeficientes dos modelos; por sua vez, os estágios coletados no ano agrícola 2006-2007 foram usados como dados independentes para avaliar os modelos. A simulação do número de folhas expandidas e totais, do embonecamento e da maturidade fisiológica da variedade de milho BRS Missões foi melhor com o modelo WE Tmm do que com o modelo WE Tmean.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a temperatura base para aparecimento de folhas e o filocrono em uma variedade de milho em várias datas de semeadura e dois anos de cultivo. Um experimento de campo foi realizado em Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), com sete datas de semeadura. Foi utilizada a variedade BRS Missões em dois anos agrícolas consecutivos (2005-06 e 2006-07). O delineamento experimental foi blocos ao acaso com seis repetições. A parcela foi composta por três linhas de 5m de comprimento no espaçamento 0,8m x 0,21m. Em cada parcela, foram marcadas ao acaso três plantas na linha central nas quais foi realizada semanalmente a contagem do número de folhas completamente expandidas (NFE) e o total (NFT). A temperatura base variou entre épocas de semeadura de 4,5 a 12°C, com média próxima de 8°C, valor que foi usado no cálculo da soma térmica. O filocrono foi maior quando calculado com base no NFE do que com base no NFT e variou com a data de semeadura, de 50,0 a 69,9°C dia folha-1 e de 39,6 a 59,8°C dia folha-1, respectivamente, sendo o fotoperíodo uma possível causa da variação do filocrono entre épocas.The objective of this study was to estimate the base temperature for leaf appearance and the phyllochron of a maize variety in several sowing dates and two growing seasons. A field experiment was conducted in Santa Maria, RS, with seven sowing dates using the BRS Missões variety in two growing seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07). The experimental design was a completely randomized blocks, with six replications. Plots were three 5 m rows in a 0.8m x 0.21m spacing. Three plants in the central row of each plot were randomly tagged, and the number of fully expanded leaves (NFE) and the number of leaf tips (NFT) were counted once a week on the tagged plants. The base temperature varied with sowing date from 4.5 to 12°C and an average of about 8°C was used to calculate thermal time. Phyllochron was higher when calculated on an NFE basis than on a NFT basis, and varied with sowing date from 50.0 to 69.9°C day leaf-1 and from 39.6 to 59.8°C day leaf-1, respectively, with photoperiod being a likely cause to explain the variation in the phyllochron with sowing date.

The calculation of leaf appearance rate (LAR) is an important part of many crop simulation models. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare a linear model (the Phyllochron model) with a non-linear model (the Wang and Engel, WE, model) for simulating LAR in a maize variety. A field experiment was carried out in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, with seven sowing dates during two growing seasons (2005/2006 and 2006/2007). The maize variety BRS Missões was used in a randomized complete block design, with six replications. Plant spacing was 0.8 m x 0.21 m, and each plot had three 5 m rows. Three plants in the central row of each plot were tagged. The ligule (expanded) and tip leaf number was measured weekly on the tagged plants. The Phyllochron model, which assumes a linear response of LAR to temperature, and the WE model, which assumes a non-linear response of LAR to temperature, were used to calculate ligule and tip leaf number. Models coefficients were estimated using the data set callected in 2005/2006 and evaluation of the models was with the data set collected in 2006/2007 using the statistics root mean square error (RMSE), index of agreement (d) and accuracy of WE model relative to the phyllochron model (E12). The WE model was superior to the Phyllochron model for predicting leaf number, with an overall RMSE of 0.80 leaves for ligule leaf number and 1.29 leaves for tip leaf number.