Advances in Crop Modelling for a Sustainable Agriculture

This collection summarises key advances in crop modelling, with a focus on developing the next generation of whole-farm models to improve decision making and support for farmers. Part 1 reviews advances in modelling individual components of agricultural systems such as plant responses to environmental conditions, crop growth stages, nutrient and water cycles as well as pest/disease dynamics. Building on this foundation, Part 2 addresses the challenges of combining modular sub-systems into whole farm system models, including integration of rotations, intercropping and livestock. Chapters also review the performance of specific models such as APSIM and DSSAT and the challenges of developing decision support systems (DSS) from such models. The book also considers landscape models such as agroecological zone (AEZ) models and Coordinated Global and Regional Assessments (CGRA). The final part of the book reviews wider issues in improving model reliability such as data sharing and the supply of real-time data as well as crop model inter-comparison. With its distinguished editor and range of experienced and expert chapter authors, this collection will be a standard reference for crop modellers and developers of decision support systems to improve the efficiency and sustainability of farming.
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Part 1 Modelling sub-systems
1.Advances and improvements in modeling plant processes: Soo-Hyung Kim and Jennifer Hsiao, University of Washington, USA; and Hannah Kinmonth-Schultz, University of Kansas, USA;
2.Functional-structural plant modeling of plants and crops: Jochem B. Evers and Leo F. M. Marcelis, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
3.Improving modeling of nutrient cycles in crop cultivation: Upendra Singh and Cheryl Porter, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and University of Florida, USA;
4.Improving modelling of water cycles in crop cultivation: Claudio O. Stoeckle, Washington State University, USA; and Francisco Meza, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile;
5.Improving crop pest/disease modeling: J. M. Fernandes, Embrapa/Universidade de Passo Fundo, Brazil; W. Pavan, Universidade de Passo Fundo, Brazil; D. Pequeno, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico; R. Wiest, Instituto Federal Sul-Rio-grandense (IFSUL), Brazil; C. A. Holbig and F. Oliveira, Universidade de Passo Fundo, Brazil; and G. Hoogenboom, University of Florida-Gainesville, USA;

Part 2 Developing whole farm system, landscape and regional models
6.Whole-farm system models in practice: diverse applications: Alison M. Laing, Cam K. McDonald, Andrew J. Ash and Diane B. Prestwidge, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia; and Holger Meinke, University of Tasmania, Australia;
7.The DSSAT crop modeling ecosystem: Gerrit Hoogenboom, Cheryl H. Porter, Kenneth J. Boote and Vakhtang Shelia, University of Florida, USA; Paul W. Wilkens and Upendra Singh, International Fertilizer Development Center, USA; Jeffrey W. White, USDA-ARS, USA; Senthold Asseng, University of Florida, USA; Jon I. Lizaso, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid,
Spain; L. Patricia Moreno, University of Florida, USA; Willingthon Pavan, Universidade de Passo Fundo, Brazil; Richard Ogoshi, University of Hawaii, USA; L. Anthony Hunt, University of Guelph, Canada; Gordon Y. Tsuji, University of Hawaii, USA; and James W. Jones, University of Florida, USA;
8.Modeling crop rotations: capturing short- and long-term feedbacks for sustainability and soil health: B. Basso and R. A. Martinez-Feria, Michigan State University, USA; and B. Dumont, University of Liege, Belgium;
9.Integrating livestock production into whole-farm system models of mixed crop-livestock systems: Katrien Descheemaeker, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands; and Lindsay Bell, CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Australia;
10.Integrating economic simulation models with whole-farm system models for ex ante technology impact assessment: John M. Antle, Oregon State University, USA;
11.Developing climate-based decision support systems
from agricultural systems models: Clyde W. Fraisse, University of Florida-Gainesville, USA; Norman E. Breuer, Catholic University Nuestra Senora de la
Asuncion, Paraguay; and Victor Cabrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA;
12.Landscape models to support sustainable intensification of
agroecological systems: C. Nendel and P. Zander, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany;
Agroecosystem models for delivering ecosystem services: Jerry L. Hatfield, Christian Dold, Erica J. Kistner-Thomas and Kenneth M. Wacha, USDA-ARS, USA;

Part 3 Modelling issues
Data for developing, testing, and applying crop and farm models: Frits K. van Evert, Wageningen University & Research,
Agrosystems Research, The Netherlands;
15.Dealing with uncertainty in crop models: Daniel Wallach, INRA, France;
16.Crop simulation model inter-comparison and improvement: Senthold Asseng, University of Florida, USA; Pierre Martre, INRA, France; and Frank Ewert, University of Bonn and Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany;
17.The future of crop modeling for sustainable agriculture: K. J. Boote, University of Florida, USA;
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Dr Kenneth Boote is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Florida, USA. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in crop modelling, helping to develop the DSSAT software application program that simulates growth for over 40 different crops. He is presently serving as Co-Lead for Crop Modeling in AgMIP, the global Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project. Amongst his many distinctions, Professor Boote is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. Professor Marcelis is Head of the Horticulture and Product Physiology Group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. The Group is widely regarded as one of the world's leading university centres of expertise on greenhouse cultivation and vertical farming. Professor Marcelis is an internationally-recognised authority on the use of light in greenhouse and other protected systems to optimise crop production.

Dr Kenneth Boote is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Florida, USA. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in crop modelling, helping to develop the DSSAT software application program that simulates growth for over 40 different crops. He is presently serving as Co-Lead for Crop Modeling in AgMIP, the global Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project. Amongst his many distinctions, Professor Boote is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.
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