1. General Model Information

Name: LOwland Water BALance - Water balance for puddled lowland (rice) soils

Acronym: LOWBAL1

Contact:

Author(s):

Abstract:

LOWBAL (LOwland Water BALance) is a simple water balance model for puddled lowland soil under rice production. The model keeps track of the amount of water in the puddled layer by book-keeping of the inputs (rainfall, irrigation) and outputs (evaporation, transpiration, seepage and percolation). The model can handle irrigated and rainfed conditions. In the irrigated situation, irrigation is treated as a dynamically simulated variable: a fixed amount of irrigation water is applied whenever the simulated depth of ponded water drops below a - user-defined - minimum level. When the soil dries out (rainfed situation), the puddled layer shrinks linearly with (decreasing) water content. Cracks can develop that penetrate the compacted layer in the bottom of the puddled layer at a certain minimum water content value. Water losses by seepage and percolation are then determined by the drainage rate of the subsoil below the puddled layer. Both shrinkage and cracking are irreversible. Roots of the rice crop are considered to be confined to the puddled layer only and no water extraction of the subsoil is simulated.

Author of the abstract:
CAMASE Register of Agro-ecosystems Models

II. Technical Information

II.1 Executables:

II.2 Source-code:

II.3 Manuals:

II.4 Data:

III. Mathematical Information

III.1 Mathematics

III.2 Quantities

III.2.1 Input

III.2.2 Output

IV. References

Bouman, B.A.M., M.C.S. Wopereis, M.J. Kropff, H.F.M. ten Berge & T.P.Tuong, 1994.
Understanding the water use efficiency of flooded rice fields. IISimulation and sensitivity analysis.
In press by Agricultural Water Management.

V. Further information in the World-Wide-Web

VI. Additional remarks

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