While the original intent of the Plant module was to simulate legume species, it now simulates non-legume species such as canola, wheat and weeds . Sinclair, 1986), functions derived directly from experimental data and model calibration to experimental data sets. The functions on which the crop growth module is based originate from a mixture of sources including values/functions from published literature/models (e.g. The underlying premise was that the basic physiological principles needed to be simulated were essentially the same across species and that species differences could be captured successfully through different parameter inputs.
The module was developed so that disparate pieces of source code residing with different plant modules could be consolidated into the one module, thus cutting down on on-going maintenance costs, source code management, and version control problems. The Plant module replaces previous modules covering the relevant crops. The module will predict on a daily basis: phenological variables (leaf and node appearance, occurrence of stages of development, thermal time progression), leaf area development, nitrogen content and biomass of plant parts (including grain), depth and distribution of roots in the soil profile, root water and nitrogen uptake, water, oxygen and nitrogen deficit stress factors, and nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere. Plant tops and root residues are ‘passed’ from Plant to the Residue and SoilN module respectively at harvest of the plant crop.Ĭurrently, the crops that are included in the Plant module are chickpea, mungbean, cowpea, soybean, pigeonpea, stylosanthes, peanut, faba bean, lucerne, canola, weed, mucuna, lupin, wheat and navybean (Table 1).Ī list of the module outputs is provided in the ‘Plant module outputs’ section listed below. Information on crop cover is also provided to the Soilwat module for calculation of evaporation rates and runoff. The Plant module returns information on its soil water and nitrogen uptake to the Soilwat and SoilNmodules on a daily basis for reset of these systems. Plant growth in this model responds to climate (temperature, rainfall and radiation from the Met module), soil water supply (from the Soilwat module) and soil nitrogen (from the SoilN module). The Plant module simulates the growth of a number of different species on a daily time-step (on an area basis not single plant).