Publication | Closed Access
Simulating Alamo Switchgrass with the ALMANAC Model
87
Citations
0
References
1996
Year
EngineeringComputational ModelLand UseSimulation ModellingAgricultural EconomicsSimulationEarth ScienceSocial SciencesModeling And SimulationAlamo SwitchgrassMeteorologyCrop ProductionCrop YieldCrop Growth ModelingForecastingAgricultural ModelingNatural Resource ManagementDerived Plant ParametersLeaf Area
Abstract A model for forage yield with adequate details for leaf area, biomass, nutrients, and hydrology would be valuable for making management decisions. The objectives of this study were to develop Alamo switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) parameters for the Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) model and demonstrate its accuracy across a wide range of environments. Derived plant parameters included potential leaf area index (LAI), potential biomass growth per unit intercepted light, optimum nutrient concentrations, and growth responses to temperature. The model's simulated yields accounted for 79% of the variability in measured yields for one‐cut and two‐cut harvest systems from six diverse sites in Texas in 1993 and 1994. Simulated yields for three locations differed in sensitivity to potential LAI, heat units to maturity, radiation use efficiency (RUE), and soil depth. The ALMANAC model shows promise as a management tool for this important forage and bioenergy crop.