CROP SIMULATION MODELS FOR COTTON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES


Blessing Masasi and Jonathan Masasi

DOI: 10.26480/bda.01.2024.70.72

ABSTRACT
Cotton, a major global cash crop, faces diverse challenges due to changing environmental conditions and evolving agricultural practices. Crop simulation models have emerged as powerful tools for understanding and predicting cotton growth and development. These models offer farmers and researchers valuable insights and decision support. However, their effectiveness is contingent on addressing challenges related to data requirements, sensitivity to input parameters, model complexity, and validation. As technology advances and research continues, addressing these weaknesses will further enhance the utility of crop simulation models in shaping the future of cotton cultivation. Thus, this paper reviews various crop simulation models employed in studying cotton, highlighting their strengths and limitations. The paper explores the key modeling approaches, the integration of biophysical processes, and the impact of these models on decision-making in cotton agriculture.

KEYWORDS
Cotton, crop modeling, DSSAT, GOSSYM-COMAX, Cotton2K, SWAT