eCite Digital Repository
Maize (Zea mays L.) productivity as influenced by sowing date and nitrogen fertiliser rate at Melkassa, Ethiopia: parameterisation and evaluation of APSIM-Maize
Citation
Mesfin, T and Moeller, C and Parsons, D and Meinke, H, Maize (Zea mays L.) productivity as influenced by sowing date and nitrogen fertiliser rate at Melkassa, Ethiopia: parameterisation and evaluation of APSIM-Maize, Proceedings of the17th Australian Society of Agronomy Conference, 20-24 September 2015, Hobart, Australia, pp. 1-4. (2015) [Refereed Conference Paper]
 | PDF 239Kb |
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 the author
Official URL: http://www.agronomyaustralia.org/
Abstract
Crop modelling can assist in exploring the production risks and the yield uncertainty associated with rainfall variability but requires empirical data suitable for model testing within a specific system and environment. To parameterise the crop simulation model APSIM-Maize, a field experiment examining a medium maturing maize cultivar sown on two dates and grown at two nitrogen (N) fertiliser rates (0 and 100 kg N ha-1) was conducted at Melkassa, Ethiopia. Model performance was evaluated against six independent datasets from the same site. APSIM-Maize simulated crop phenology, leaf area index, and biomass well for both sowing dates. The model showed acceptable performance in simulating grain yield in most cases. However, at the late sowing date and high N supply, the model over-estimated yield by 37%. The model realistically captured variation in soil water dynamics as indicated by a RMSE of 0.039 mm mm-1. Evaluation of the parametrised model against independent data showed that it was able to reasonably simulate various crop responses including date of silking (RMSE=1 d), date of physiological maturity (RMSE=1.50 d), grain yield (RMSE=0.39 t ha-1), and biomass production (RMSE=0.48 t ha-1) for maize grown at different sowing dates (between June and July) and N application rates (up to100 kg N ha-1).The results showed that APSIM-Maize is credible and can be used for scenario analyses of maize systems in semiarid environments of Ethiopia.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | crop simulation modelling, Ethiopia, maize, model evaluation, model parameterisation |
| Research Division: | Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences |
| Research Group: | Agriculture, land and farm management |
| Research Field: | Agricultural production systems simulation |
| Objective Division: | Plant Production and Plant Primary Products |
| Objective Group: | Environmentally sustainable plant production |
| Objective Field: | Environmentally sustainable plant production not elsewhere classified |
| UTAS Author: | Mesfin, T (Mr Tewodros Abebe) |
| UTAS Author: | Moeller, C (Dr Carina Moeller) |
| UTAS Author: | Parsons, D (Dr David Parsons) |
| UTAS Author: | Meinke, H (Professor Holger Meinke) |
| ID Code: | 102998 |
| Year Published: | 2015 |
| Deposited By: | Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture |
| Deposited On: | 2015-09-15 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-04-05 |
| Downloads: | 282 View Download Statistics |
Repository Staff Only: item control page