Applications of agroclimatic indices and process oriented crop simulation models in European agriculture

Abstract

During the past decades, many new software tools were developed to be used for agricultural research as well as for decision making. For example, crop and whole farm system modeling, pest and disease warning models/algorithms, models for irrigation scheduling or agroclimatic indices can help farmers significantly in decision making for crop management options and related farm technologies. The aim of Working Group 1 of COST 734 was a review and assessment of agroclimatic indices and simulation models relevant for various European agricultural activities. The key results, based on a survey by questionnaires among the COST 734 participating countries (see: www.cost734.eu) and a literature survey, are presented in this study. It includes an overview of most used agrometeorological or agroclimatic indices and process oriented crop models for operational as well as scientific applications, an analysis of the limitations for applications, and an overview of spatial applications in combination with GIS and remote sensing in Europe. The COST 734 survey showed, for example, that research activities regarding the development of agroclimatic indices in Europe are focused on indices on drought, phenology, frost, and heat stress. Process oriented crop models are mainly applied for wheat and maize, which is related to their importance in European crop production. In many cases there are still limitations of crop model applications in Europe, which are often related to the availability of input data. Spatial crop model applications including a combination with remote sensing data are still rare. There are a number of different models and indices in use, varying by regions and countries. From the survey it can be concluded that there is a need of standardization and harmonization of applications of agroclimatic indices as well as crop models in Europe in order to allow inter-comparison of the results and to improve the interpretation of results.