Development of Databases for Modeling Corn and Potatoes
In cooperation with Univ. of MD., College Park, MD

Objective:
Provide scientific support for cooperative research conducting studies on corn, potato, & soybean. Quantify plant responses to environmental variables & management practices at the physiological level, i.e., photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, & growth & development. Analyze data and develop equations to integrate into process level models being developed. Carry out field level research to evaluate spatial effects of nitrogen and water on potato growth and yield, and modeling errors.

Approach:
The development of a database at the physiological process level is the first step for mechanistic crop and soil model development. Major physiological processes, like photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and growth and development need to be quantified in response to changes in environmental variables and management practices. Similar quantification of below ground processes like the movement of water, chemicals, and heat in the root zone of various soil types needs to be accomplished. This research and the resulting data play a critical role in the development of a suite of process level crop simulation models for various crops.