Simulation of potato yield in temperate condition by the AquaCrop model

• Published in: Agricultural water management 2017-09, Vol.191, p.113-123
• Main Authors: Razzaghi, Fatemeh, Zhou, Zhenjiang, Andersen, Mathias N., Plauborg, Finn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canopy cover; Deficit irrigation; Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use; Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap; Modelling; Normalized water productivity; Sensitivity analysis
• ISSN: 0378-3774; 1873-2283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2017.06.008

•AquaCrop predicted potato yield with high accuracy under temperate condition.•Sensitivity analysis delineated the most influential parameters with respect to tuber yield.•AquaCrop performed better for less water stressed treatments. Potato production ranks fourth in the world after rice, wheat, and maize and it is highly sensitive to water stress. It is thus very important to implement irrigation management strategies to minimize the effects of water stress under different climate conditions. The use of modelling tools to calculate the soil water balance on a daily basis has become widespread in the last decades. Therefore, this study was performed to simulate potato yield, dry matter and soil water content under different water stress condition using the AquaCrop model. Three levels of irrigation comprising full irrigated (If), deficit irrigated (Id) and not irrigated (I0) were investigated in three-years potato field experiment (2013–15) with four replicates in randomized complete block design. Tuber and total dry matter yield, canopy cover, dry matter production during the crop growth season, and soil water content was simulated using the AquaCrop model. Data from full irrigated treatment of 2014 was used for model calibration and data from 2013 (If, Id, and I0 treatments), 2014 (Id, and I0 treatments) and 2015 (If, Id, and I0 treatments) were used for model validation. The sensitivity analysis of different parameters showed that KcTr, HI0, CCX, calendar day from sowing to start of senescence and WP* had the most pronounced influence on tuber yield. The result showed that the AquaCrop model simulated soil water content, canopy cover and above-ground dry matter during the crop growth seasons with acceptable accuracy, except for I0 treatment. The means of the normalized root mean square error calculated for soil water content, dry matter during crop growth season and tuber yield for all irrigation treatments in validation years were 0.164, 0.157 and 0.046, respectively, indicating the ability of AquaCrop in simulation of soil water content and crop production. In conclusion, the AquaCrop model could be calibrated to simulate growth and yield of potato under temperate condition, reasonably well, and become a very useful tool to support decision on when and how much irrigate.