Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Transfer (IBSNAT) project proposed many models for soya bean
growth—SOYGRO. Other models in the areas of irrigation man-
agement, soil physics, nutrition, pests and diseases are already
in use. There is even a model used for a long time in biology
and agriculture;, the one invented to describe the progeny result-
ing from crossing plants with one or more characters controlled
by dominant-recessive genes. One of the most important uses of
models is to forecast the results produced by a given system in
response to a given set of inputs. One very important future use
of models in agriculture is to forecast the effects of certain envi-
ronmental conditions and agricultural practices on crop perfor-
mance. Being useful tools for researchers, models have also been
developed and applied to solve complex agricultural problems.
There was practically no demand for farm-level models a couple
of decades ago, but today, many farmers have mobile phones
through which they can access the Internet. Another growing
group of model users in the governmental agencies are con-
cerned with developing agricultural and environmental policies.
In planning and analysing agricultural systems, it is essen-
tial not only to consider variability but also to think of it in
terms directly relevant to components of the system. Such
analysis may be a relatively straightforward probabilistic
analysis of particular events, such as the start of the crop sea-
son in India. The principal effects of weather on crop growth
and development are well understood and predictable. Crop
simulation models can predict responses to large variations in
weather. At every point of the application, weather data are
the most important input. The main goal of most applications
of crop models is to predict commercial output such as grain
yield, fruits, root, biomass for fodder and so on. In general,
the management applications of crop simulation models can be
defined as (1) strategic applications (crop models are run prior
to planting), (2) practical applications (crop models are run
prior to and during crop growth) and (3) forecasting applica-
tions (models are run to predict yield both prior to and during
crop growth). Crop simulation models are used in the United
States and in Europe by farmers, private agencies and policy
makers, to a great extent, for decision making. Under Indian
climatic conditions, these applications have an excellent role
to play. The reasons include the dependence on monsoon rains
for all agricultural operations in India. Once the arrival of the
monsoon is delayed, the policy makers and agricultural scien-
tists are under tremendous pressure. They need to go for contin-
gency plans. These models enable the evaluation of alternative
management strategies, quickly, effectively and at no/low cost.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search