PREDICCIÓN DEL CRECIMIENTO POTENCIAL DE TOMATE DE CÁSCARA MEDIANTE EL MODELO SUCROS

Abstract

SUCROS (a Simple and Universal Crop Growth Simulator) is a mechanistic model, which explains crop growth based on process such as photosynthesis and respiration, under the influence of environmental conditions. The aim of the present research was to investigate to what extend the SUCROS model can predict potential growth and development of a husk tomatoes crop. In order to do that, model predictions of total above-ground dry matter, biomass of leaves, biomass of fruits, biomass of stems of the plants, and leaf area index, were compared against measurements that came from one potential crop growth experiment. In contrast to growth analysis, explanatory models, such as SUCROS, relate crop growth and development with fundamental physiological processes. Afterwards the model calibration was carried out, by adjusting the five model most sensitive parameters, the degree of fit among simulations and measurements was acceptable for almost all calibrated conditions, being (R2>0.92) in case of total above-ground dry matter, (R2>0.95) for biomass of stems, (R2>0.79) for leaves biomass, (R2>0.83) for fruits biomass and (R2>0.58) for the leaf area index.