Simulation of growth and development of diverse legume species in APSIM

Abstract

This paper describes the physiological basis and validation of a generic legume model as it applies to 4 species: chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), peanut (Arachis hypogaeaL.), and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). For each species, the key physiological parameters were derived from the literature and our own experimentation. The model was tested on an independent set of experiments, predominantly from the tropics and subtropics of Australia, varying in cultivar, sowing date, water regime (irrigated or dryland), row spacing, and plant population density. The model is an attempt to simulate crop growth and development with satisfactory comprehensiveness, without the necessity of defining a large number of parameters. A generic approach was adopted in recognition of the common underlying physiology and simulation approaches for many legume species. Simulation of grain yield explained 77, 81, and 70% of the variance (RMSD = 31, 98, and 46 g/m²) for mungbean (n = 40, observed mean = 123 g/m²), peanut (n = 30, 421 g/m²), and chickpea (n = 31, 196 g/m²), respectively. Biomass at maturity was simulated less accurately, explaining 64, 76, and 71% of the variance (RMSD = 134, 236, and 125 g/m²) for mungbean, peanut, and chickpea, respectively. RMSD for biomass in lucerne (n = 24) was 85 g/m² with an R² of 0.55. Simulation accuracy is similar to that achieved by single-crop models and suggests that the generic approach offers promise for simulating diverse legume species without loss of accuracy or physiological rigour.