AquaCrop is a crop water productivity simulation model developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; the model is the result and improvement of a key reference paper on agricultural yield responses to water (Doorenbos and Kassam, 1979). The model treats herbaceous crops and tree crops separately, and simulates growth of a crop species, striving to address conditions where water is a key limiting factor. AquaCrop is mainly intended for practitioners such as those working for extension services, governmental agencies, NGOs and various kinds of farmers associations, and is intended to be used in developing irrigation strategies when dealing with water deficit, determining a suitable crop calendar, and obtaining yield estimates for crops under a variety of environmental conditions (including climate change). Applications include: assessing water-limited, attainable crop yields at a given geographical location; as a benchmarking tool, comparing attainable yields against actual yields of a field, farm, or region; scheduling deficit and supplemental irrigation; supporting decisionmaking on water allocation; and many more uses, described in the AquaCrop website documentation. http://www.fao.org/nr/water/infores_databases_aquacrop.html
This toolbox entry has been labelled with the following tags:
| Sector: | agriculture; water management | |
| Spatial scale: | regional; national; sub-national; local | |
| Temporal focus: | present; future | |
| Onset: | slow | |
| Role in decision process: | diagnostic | |
| Level of skills required: | modest | |
| Data requirements: | limited | |
| Adaptation tasks: | Potential impact projection; Residual impact projection |
Key strengths:
The model estimates crop growth, given a set of climate and soil parameters, together with crop management. As the model was designed to assess crop response to water, it allows for the evaluation of climate variability and change impacts (changes in temperature, precipitation, and other climate variables, CO2 concentrations, reduced water availability) or environmental regulations (reduced water quotas) on crop yields. It is to be used for irrigation management, project planning, and scenario simulations at different scales. (AquaCrop website 2011, http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquacrop.html) The key output of the model is crop yield. A relatively small number of inputs are required, pertaining to soils, crop species being used, hydrology, and other environmental factors (ie climate change scenarios)
AquaCrop is designed to be relatively simple and intuitive, and to be used by practitioners, scientists, and educators as a training and education tool when dealing with the role of water in crop production. While there is no user interface, the process of running the application is relatively simple with the aid of a user's manual. No specific training for use of the tool is required, but knowledge of the concepts involved (agriculture, water use, etc.) is desirable, as well as a basic idea of how the software works, as there is no user interface. The only technical requirement is a computer system running Microsoft Windows, and the software is free to download after providing basic contact information. All required documentation, most notably the AquaCrop Reference Manual, can be found at: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquacrop.html
H. Salemi, M.A.M. Soom, T.S. Lee, S.F. Mousavi, A.Ganji and M.K. Yusoff, 2011. Application of AquaCrop model in deficit irrigation management of Winter wheat in arid region. African Journal of Agricultural Research 610, 2204-2215. , 18 May, 2011. Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR
M. García-Vila, E. Fereres, L. Mateos, F. Orgaz, and P. Steduto, 2009. Deficit Irrigation Optimization of Cotton with AquaCrop. Agronomy Journal 101: 477-487
L.K Heng, T.C. Hsiao, S. Evett, T. Howell, and P. Steduto, 2009. Validating the FAO AquaCrop Model for Irrigated and Water Deficient Field Maize. Agronomy Journal 101: 488-498
S. Geerts, D. Raes, M. Garcia, R. Miranda, J.A. Cusicanqui, C. Taboada, J. Mendoza, R. Huanca, A. Mamani, O. Condori, J. Mamani, B. Morales, V. Osco, and P. Steduto , 2009. Simulating Yield Response of Quinoa to Water Availability with AquaCrop. Agronomy Journal 101: 499-508
M. Todorovic, R. Albrizio, L. Zivotic, M. Abi Saab, C. Stöckle, and P. Steduto , 2009. Assessment of AquaCrop, CropSyst, and WOFOST Models in the Simulation of Sunflower Growth under Different Water Regimes. Agronomy Journal 101: 509-52
References:
E. Vanuytrecht, D. Raes, and P. Willems, 2011. Considering sink strength to model crop production under elevated atmospheric CO2. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151(12): 1753-1762
P. Steduto, T.C. Hsiao, D. Raes, and E. Fereres , 2009. AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: I. Concepts and Underlying Principles. Agronomy Journal 101: 426-437
D. Raes, P. Steduto, T.C. Hsiao, and E. Fereres, 2009. AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: II. Main Algorithms and Software
T.C. Hsiao, L.K. Heng, P. Steduto, B. Rojas-Lara, D. Raes, and E. Fereres, 2009. AquaCrop-The FAO Crop Model to Simulate Yield Response to Water: III. Parameterization and Testing for Maize. Agronomy Journal 101: 448-459
H.J. Farahani, G. Izzi, and T.Y. Oweis, 2009. Parameterization and Evaluation of the AquaCrop Model for Full and Deficit Irrigated Cotton. Agronomy Journal 101: 469-47
J. Doorenbos, J A.H. Kassam, 1979. Yield response to water. FAO irrigation and drainage. Paper nº 33, FAO, Rome.
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