Crop Model Parameterisation of Three Important Pearl Millet Varieties for Improved Water Use and Yield Estimation

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 6; p. 806
• Main Authors: Ausiku, Petrus A., Annandale, John G., Steyn, Joachim Martin, Sanewe, Andrew J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.03.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Arid regions; Arid zones; Asia; Biomass; biomass production; Calibration; Cenchrus americanus; Crop growth; crop models; Crop production; Crop yield; Crops; cultivars; dry matter production; Economic forecasting; extinction coefficient; Food; Food security; Food supply; Forage; Grain; grain yield; Growth models; humans; hybrids; Irrigation; landraces; Livestock; Mathematical models; Meteorological data; Millet; modelling; Moisture content; Parameterization; Parameters; partitioning; Pennisetum glaucum; phenology; Precipitation; Production planning; Rain; Semi arid areas; Semiarid zones; Soil water; soil water balance; Southern Africa; tillering; Water balance; Water use; Water use efficiency; South Africa; Namibia; Africa; Asia; Southern Africa; radiation use efficiency; Pennisetum glaucum; dry matter production; partitioning; extinction coefficient; crop growth; modelling; SWB
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants11060806

Pearl millet is an important crop for food security in Asia and Africa’s arid and semi-arid regions. It is widely grown as a staple cereal grain for human consumption and livestock fodder. Mechanistic crop growth and water balance models are useful to forecast crop production and water use. However, very few studies have been devoted to the development of the model parameters needed for such simulations for pearl millet. The objectives of the study were to determine crop-specific model parameters for each of three pearl millet varieties (landrace, hybrid, and improved), as well as to calibrate and validate the Soil Water Balance (SWB) model for predicting pearl millet production and water use based on weather data. The SWB was chosen because it is widely used in southern Africa; however, the developed parameters should benefit other models as well. The presented crop-specific parameter values were derived from field observations and literature. Varieties with different phenology, maturity dates and tillering habits were grown under well-watered and well-fertilised conditions for calibration purposes. The calibrated model was used to predict biomass production, grain yield and crop water use. The hybrid’s water use efficiency was higher than that of the landrace and improved variety.