CERES‐Maize model performance under mineral and organic fertilization in nemoral climate conditions

Abstract

AbstractLittle information is available regarding the performance of the CERES‐Maize model under nemoral climate conditions. Therefore, this study aims to estimate and compare major soil‐plant N cycle parameters in grain maize (Zea mays L.) crop after application of synthetic and different organic fertilizers solely or in combination in nemoral zone maize production, using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model. Field experiments carried out during 2015, 2016, and 2017 in Akademija (Lithuania) were considered for model calibration and validation. The model was successfully validated for total aboveground biomass (TAB, R2 = .89), grain yield (GY, R2 = .85), and acceptably for leaf area index (LAI, R2 = .57), total plant N uptake (R2 = .61), and residual soil mineral N (R2 = .64). The lower plant N uptake and soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) observed for the pelletized cattle manure (PCM) and green waste compost (GWC) treatments compared to the fertilization with synthetic ammonium nitrate (AN) were successfully captured by the model. Finally, the model provided reasonable predictions of the temporal dynamics of measured soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature. The validated model was further used to provide N loss estimations during the maize growing seasons via leaching and gaseous emissions. The results showed that the CERES‐Maize model can successfully be used to simulate maize growth under the extreme climatic conditions of the nemoral zone in combination with different N managements. Nevertheless, additional efforts are needed to verify and fine‐tune the model to comprehensively simulate the N cycle, especially losses by drainage water and gaseous emissions.