Adaptation, evaluation, and application of the DSSAT CSM-CROPGRO model for sweet orange

• Grant number: 23/14692-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 06, 2024
• End date: May 05, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Agricultural Meteorology
• Principal Investigator: Patricia Angélica Alves Marques
• Grantee: Júlia Boscariol Rasera
• Supervisor: Gerrit Hoogenboom
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Florida, Gainesville (UF), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/06804-3 - Development and evaluation of a simulation model to estimate the productivity of sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis L.), BP.DR

Abstract

The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) is a widely recognized and utilized tool for crop modeling worldwide. However, the system currently lacks a model for perennial tree fruit despite efforts in the past. Through dedicated research efforts, it has been demonstrated that DSSAT Cropping System Model-CROPGRO holds promise for addressing this gap. Sweet orange cultivation is of great importance to many countries including both Brazil and the United States of America that are significant producers and exporters of this fruit's juice. Developing a precise yield estimation model, adapted within the CROPGRO framework and referred to as the TREEGRO model, would provide invaluable support for decision-making in these regions. Hence, the objective of this project is to work on adapting the CROPGRO model specifically for sweet oranges, with a focus on potentially enhancing its representation as a tree fruit model. This adaptation seeks to meet the unique needs of perennial fruit tree agriculture and contribute to more informed and effective decision-making in the citrus industry. To achieve this goal, the proposal is divided in four phases: (i) experimental data collection, field, and literature, including estimation of crop variables and literature search, especially time-series growth and phenological data; (ii) model development and adaptation through TREEGRO modifications; (iii) model evaluation, and finally, (iv) model application in different citrus producing regions of São Paulo/BR and Florida/US. It is expected that this project will result in an initial model for the simulation of sweet orange model growth, development, and yield within the open-source DSSAT tool.