Simulation of maize growth under conservation farming in tropical environments

This book is written for students and researchers with a keen interest in the quantification of the field soil water balance in tropical environments and the effect of conservation farming on crop production. Part 1 deals with the potential production, i.e. crop growth under ample supply of water nutrients in a pest-, disease- and weed-free environment. Part 2 deals with crop production under rainfed or water-limited conditions by including the crop water balance as well as the soil water balance. Both models use maize as an example. The way the MAIZE models are presented differs from the modular structure of present day models, where separate data blocks for soil, crop and climate are added at the end of a main programme. Here, the explanatory text follows, as closely as possible, the computer listing of the model. Each chapter starts with a number of lines which were copied from the listing. Subsequently, the terminology is justified and the input data and the dimensions of variables are explained. Another special feature is the fact that parameter and function values are defined directly after the line in which they are used for the first time. This method highlights the places where the model needs input from the user. In this way it is stressed that the accuracy of the model depends on the availability and quality of the input data, together with the correct understanding and description of the processes involved. The third part of this book contains a number of applications