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Article
Use of DSSAT to model cropping systems
CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources
  • Reshmi Sarkar, Lincoln University of Missouri
Document Type
Article
Abstract

Crop simulation models have great significance in transferring new technologies to the farmers and decision-makers and Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) have been one of the most important of them. Ten years of endeavour in developing DSSAT by scientists of the International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer (IBSNAT) has turned DSSAT as a really useful tool for researchers and policy-makers for decision-making and to answer what - if questions related to a cropping system. Since its first release it has been customized and modified as a better suite of models to represent a system or simulate one or more crops with a system approach based on the soil and climate condition. Attachment of weather generators, genetic coefficients, GIS, databases and different decision support tools made DSSAT even more supportive to agriculturists for taking the right decision at the right time while keeping future scenario in mind. DSSAT have been widely used to simulate crop yield of a system under different management strategies, select management practices for optimum resource use and sustainable crop production with minimum malefic effect on environment, take right decision based on economic return of a system and alter management options based on weather changing. Although it has been extensively used in both developed and developing countries to increase food production and for nutrient and water management, it can still be exploited to solve many problems in this present age of information. © 2009 CAB International.

DOI
10.1079/PAVSNNR20094025
Publication Date
11-19-2009
Citation Information
Reshmi Sarkar. "Use of DSSAT to model cropping systems" CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources Vol. 4 (2009)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/reshmi-sarkar/33/