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Using the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model to simulate crop yield and nitrogen cycling in fields under long-term continuous maize production

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Abstract

Simulation models, such as the DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) Crop System Models are often used to characterize, develop and assess field crop production practices. In this study, one of the DSSAT Cropping System Model, CERES-Maize, was employed to characterize maize (Zea mays) yield and nitrogen dynamics in a 50-year maize production study at Woodslee, Ontario, Canada (42°13′N, 82°44′W). The treatments selected for this study included continuous corn/maize with fertilization (CC-F) and continuous corn/maize without fertilization (CC-NF) treatments. Sequential model simulations of long-term maize yield (1959–2008), near-surface (0–30 cm) soil mineral nitrogen (N) content (2000), and soil nitrate loss (1998–2000) were compared to measured values. The model did not provide accurate predictions of annual maize yields, but the overall agreement was as good as other researchers have obtained. In the CC-F treatment, near-surface soil mineral N and cumulative soil nitrate loss were simulated by the model reasonably well, with n-RMSE = 62 and 29%, respectively. In the CC-NF treatment, however, the model consistently overestimated soil nitrate loss. These outcomes can be used to improve our understanding of the long-term effects of fertilizer management practices on maize yield and soil properties in improved and degraded soils.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2007CB109306), the National 11th Five-Year Plan Project of China (2008BADA4B03) and the Greenhouse & Processing Crops Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The authors acknowledge Ministry of Education, China, for providing a graduate student scholarship, and the International Plant Nutrition Institute for providing a Scholar Award in 2009. Appreciation is also expressed to the many staff who have maintained the field plots over the 50 years and who obtained and analyzed the field data including Dr. Tom Oloya, Wayne Calder, Joann Gignac, Vic Bernyk, Karl Rinas and Massoud Soultani. We also wish to express our gratitude to Dr. X. M. Yang for providing technical references.

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  1. G. Hoogenboom

    Present address: AgWeatherNet Program, Washington State University, Prosser, WA 99350-8694, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2585 County Rd 20, Harrow, ON, N0R 1G0, Canada

    H. L. Liu, J. Y. Yang, C. F. Drury, W. D. Reynolds & C. S. Tan

  2. Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    H. L. Liu, Y. L. Bai, P. He & J. Jin

  3. International Plant Nutrition Institute China Program, 100081, Beijing, China

    P. He & J. Jin

  4. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, The University of Georgia, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, Georgia, 30223-1797, USA

    G. Hoogenboom

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  1. H. L. Liu
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Liu, H.L., Yang, J.Y., Drury, C.F. et al. Using the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model to simulate crop yield and nitrogen cycling in fields under long-term continuous maize production. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 89, 313–328 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-010-9396-y

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