1. General Model Information

Name: Mechanistic physiological process-based cotton growth model

Acronym: COTCO2

Main medium: terrestrial
Main subject: biogeochemistry
Organization level: organism
Type of model: compartment model, ordinary differential equations
Main application:
Keywords: crop, cotton growth, plant water use, crop yield, growth model, process based, organ level

Contact:

Dr. Gerard Wall
U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory
USDA-ARS
4331 E. Broadway Phoenix, AZ85018
Phone:602-379-4356
Fax : 602-379-4355
email: gwall@water1.uswcl.ars.ag.gov

Author(s):

Jeff Amthor, Gerard Wall, and Bruce Kimball.

Abstract:

COTCO2 is a mechanistic physiological process-based cotton growth model. There were four main objectives for developing the COTCO2 model:

to develop a cotton growth model capable of predicting the effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 and changing climatic variables on cotton growth yield and water use;
to determine the effects of the interaction of CO2 and temperature on cott$ photosynthesis and growth;
to determine the effects of elevated CO2-grown host cotton and temperature interactions on insect populations and growth, and,
to determine the long-term effects of elevated CO2 on plant growth.

Model input data include air temperature, humidity and solar radiation, wind speed, precipitation, irrigation, fertilizer, planting information and soil properties. From this input data the model can simulate plant growth data (organ or whole plant), plant water use and crop yields for a full season.

Author of the abstract:

CIESIN (CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFORMATION NETWORK):

II. Technical Information

II.1 Executables:

Operating System(s): Has been tested on Sun SPARC II workstation.

II.2 Source-code:

Programming Language(s): FORTRAN 77

II.3 Manuals:

II.4 Data:

For assessment-type studies the climate data could be obtainedfrom the National Climate Center in Asheville, NC. and the soils data from soil surveys.

III. Mathematical Information

III.1 Mathematics

III.2 Quantities

III.2.1 Input

Hourly air temperature and humidity and solar radiation.These can be simulated by the program from daily min/ max temperature, daily total solarradiation, and average daily vapor pressure if necessary. Also wind speed, precipitation, irrigation,fertilization, planting density, date of planning, row spacing, soil properties, etc.

III.2.2 Output

Growth data of all plant organs or whole plant hour by hour or at variousintervals. Similarly, for plant water use. Plant temperature, final yield.
Temporal Scale:
Variable, but nominally 1 hour for plant physiological processes. Soil processesgenerally faster, 1 minute.
Spatial Scale:
The model seeks to model the growth of the representative plant in a field, as thescale is that of a farmer's field.

IV. References

WALL, G.W., J.S. AMTHOR, and B.A. KIMBALL. 1994. COTCO2: A cotton growth simulationmodel for global change. Agric. & Forest Meteorol. 70:289-342.

V. Further information in the World-Wide-Web