A Robust Potato Model: LINTUL-POTATO-DSS

Abstract

In 1994, LINTUL-POTATO was published, a comprehensive model of potato development and growth. The mechanistic model simulated early crop processes (emergence and leaf expansion) and light interception until extinction, through leaf layers. Photosynthesis and respiration in a previous crop growth model-SUCROSwere substituted by a temperature-dependent light use efficiency. Leaf senescence at initial crop stages was simulated by allowing a longevity per daily leaf class formed, and crop senescence started when all daily dry matter production was allocated to the tubers, leaving none for the foliage. The model performed well in, e.g., ideotyping studies. For other studies such as benchmarking production environments, agroecological zoning, climatic hazards, climate change, and yield gap analysis, the need was felt to develop from the original LINTUL-POTATO, a derivative LINTUL-POTATO-DSS with fewer equations-reducing the potential sources of error in calculations-and fewer parameters. This reduces the number of input parameters as well as the amount of data required that for many reasons are not available or not reliable. In LINTUL-POTATO-DSS calculating potential yields, initial crop development depends on a fixed temperature sum for ground cover development from 0% at emergence to 100%. Light use efficiency is temperature dependent. Dry matter distribution to the

Modelling potato growth

“…However, usually a more dynamic approach is used, including the modelling of leaf appearance, expansion of the leaf area and senescence. Another difference between models is whether they describe the development of separate individual leaves, or handle the whole canopy as one "big leaf" (Kabat et al 1995;Raymundo et al 2014;Haverkort et al 2015).…”

“…Their conclusion was that (when calibrated) the simple model could predict the yield equally well as the complex model (when calibrated), despite a much lower input data requirement. Another example can be seen in the long term evolution of the LINTUL-POTATO model, as described by Haverkort et al, (2015). Already in the original version of this model (Kooman and Haverkort, 1994), some simplifications were made from its predecessor, the SUCROS crop growth model.…”

“…In order to use the model for more specific tasks, such as "benchmarking production environments, agroecological zoning, climatic hazards, climate change, and yield gap analysis", further simplifications had to be made (Haverkort et al 2015). This resulted in the development of the LINTUL-POTATO-DSS (Haverkort et al, 2015), with fewer equations and fewer parameters to be estimated, with fewer input variables and less input data required.…”

Baseline potato cultivation in Myanmar

“…The simple crop growth model LINTUL-DSS (Haverkort et al 2015a) is used to calculate the attainable yield. This simple model calculates dry mass production through the interception of radiation by green leaves.…”

Forecasting Yield and Tuber Size of Processing Potatoes in South Africa Using the LINTUL-Potato-DSS Model

“…Therefore, simulation models could potentially also be useful to help improve yield forecasts for the potato processing industry. LINTUL-Potato-DSS is an example of such a model that has been successfully calibrated and validated for different potato production environments around the world (Kooman and Haverkort 1995;Caldiz et al 2001;Franke et al 2011;Haverkort et al 2015). Haverkort et al (2015) showed how to use the LINTUL-Potato-DSS model to forecast yield anytime during the growing season by using real time weather data until the current day in the season and long term historical weather data to forecast the yield at any future date.…”