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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404362
Research Project: Development of Enhanced Tools and Management Strategies to Support Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Water Quality

Location: Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory

Title: Integrating new fruit and vegetable growth parameters in SWAT models for improved simulations

Author
item BRIGHENTI, TASSIA - Iowa State University
item CERKASOVA, NATALJA - Texas A&M Agrilife
item STONE, TIFFANIE - Iowa State University
item GASSMAN, PHILIP - Iowa State University
item Arnold, Jeffrey
item Kiniry, James
item THOMPSON, JANETTE - Iowa State University
item LIEBMAN, MATT - Iowa State University
item MEKI, MANYOWA - Texas A&M Agrilife
item SRINIVASAN, RAGHAVAN - Texas A&M Agrilife
item NAIR, AJAY - Iowa State University
item White, Michael

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2026
Publication Date: 5/26/2026
Citation: Brighenti, T.M., Cerkasova, N., Stone, T.F., Gassman, P.W., Arnold, J.G., Kiniry, J.R., Thompson, J.R., Liebman, M., Meki, M., Srinivasan, R., Nair, A., White, M.J. 2026. Integrating new fruit and vegetable growth parameters in SWAT models for improved simulations. Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1745017.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1745017

Interpretive Summary: There is growing societal interest in growing local fruits and vegetables in Iowa and other regions of the U.S. Models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) are tools that are commonly used to determine sustainable agricultural practices for new cropping systems. In this study, we developed plant growth parameters needed to accurately model growth for 24 table food fruits and vegetables. Next, modeled fruit and vegetable production were compared and validated with measure field data, showing the model can accurately simulate production. This research shows that SWAT can be a useful tool to estimate fruit and vegetable production and in developing sustainable practices and policy.

Technical Abstract: Validating crop yields in ecohydrological models like the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is essential to advance the understanding of agricultural systems and their productivity; accurate yield simulations can support the development of more sustainable agricultural practices. This work focused on validating the SWAT model crop growth parameters for 24 table food fruits and vegetables for Iowa, located in the western Corn Belt region of the United States. The parameter estimation process was performed using five primary sources: a) existing parameters in the SWAT crop parameter database, b) alternative parameters in the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) and Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) crop parameter databases, c) literature, d) PHU fraction for scheduling dates, and e) expert communication among modeling team members. Of the 24 crops tested, 15 initial parameter data sets were available in the SWAT database, and the remaining crop types were created and added to the plant.dat file. The 24 fruit and vegetable crop types were successfully validated, considering a threshold error level that was computed as a function of the following error sources: observed yields, water content, epistemic errors and non-calibrated model errors. The parameters presented in this study should be tested for different climatic regions and for longer observed time series of crop yields if available.