A comparison of two open-source crop simulation models for a potato crop

Abstract

An open-source model is a model that makes it possible to modify the source code. This tool can be a great advantage for the user since it allows changing or modifying some of the background theory of the model. World Food Studies (WOFOST) and AquaCropOS open-source crop models were compared using field recorded data. Both models are free open-source tools that allow evaluating the impacts of climate and water on agriculture. The objective of this research was to assess the model’s efficiency in simulating the yield and above-ground biomass formation of a potato crop on the Cundiboyacense plateau. WOFOST simulates biomass accumulation in the crop organs using partitioning of assimilates to establish the biomass fraction that turns into yield. AquaCropOS simulates total above-ground biomass accumulation using crop water productivity (WP) and considers the Harvest Index (HI) to calculate yield formation. Crop modules for both models were built using information recorded in previous studies by other authors; those works performed a physiological and phenological characterization of some potato varieties. It was found that the WOFOST model simulates yield formation better than AquaCropOS; despite that, AquaCropOS simulates total aboveground biomass better than WOFOST. However, AquaCropOS was as efficient as WOFOST in simulating yield formation.