GCPE: The global dataset of crop phenological events for agricultural and earth system modeling

Abstract

The occurrence dates of crop phenological events are closely related to the timing of agronomic management and therefore are key information for agricultural monitoring and forecasting as well as for climate change impact assessment and adaptation planning. However, sowing and harvesting dates are only variables available in current global datasets. Here, we present the 0.5°grid global dataset of crop phenology in 2000 (the average of 1996-2005), called the GCPE, developed using a crop phenology model, potential sowing windows estimated from agroclimatic conditions, and site observations worldwide collected from 319 literature. Crops considered include maize, rice, wheat, and soybean. This dataset offers the plausible peak dates of sowing, emergence, maturity and harvesting as well as those of silking for maize, flowering for soybean, heading and flowering for wheat, and transplanting, heading and flowering for rice. Distinctions are made between fully irrigated and rainfed conditions and winter and spring wheat as well as between dry-and wet-season rice in the tropics. The GCPE dataset gives users opportunities to improve any applications in which crop calendars are a key input and is useful for regions where calendar information is currently sparse.