Assessing the Performance of the WOFOST Model in Simulating Jujube Fruit Tree Growth under Different Irrigation Regimes

Abstract

Cropping system models are widely employed to evaluate plant water requirements and growth situations. However, these models rarely focus on growth studies of perennial fruit trees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the WOFOST (WOrld FOod STudies) model in simulating jujube fruit tree growth under different irrigation treatments. The model was calibrated on data obtained from full irrigation treatments in 2016 and 2017. The model was validated on four deficit percentages (60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%) and one full irrigation treatment from 2016 to 2018. Calibrated R2 and RMSE values of simulated versus measured soil moisture content, excluding samples on the day of irrigation and first day after irrigation, reached 0.94 and 0.005 cm3 cm−3. The model reproduced growth dynamics of the total biomass and leaf area index, with a validated R2 = 0.967 and RMSE = 0.915 t ha−1, and R2 = 0.962 and RMSE = 0.160 m2 m−2, respectively. The model also showed good global performance, with R2 = 0.86 and RMSE = 0.51 t ha−1, as well as good local agreement (R2 ≥ 0.8 ) and prediction accuracy (RMSE ≤ 0.62 t ha−1) for each growth season. Furthermore, 90% of full irrigation can be recommended to achieve a balance between jujube yields and water savings (average decline ratio of yield ≤ 3.8%).

Comparative transcriptome analysis uncovers different heat stress responses in heat-resistant and heat-sensitive jujube cultivars

“…is a traditional fruit crop, native to China, which belongs to the Rhamnaceae family and widely grown in Asian tropical and subtropical areas [23]. Approximately 3.25 million hectares are cultivated in China [24]. High temperature caused serious loss of quality and production during the jujube growth especially in the open field cultivation.…”

Water–Nitrogen Coupling Effect on Drip-Irrigated Dense Planting of Dwarf Jujube in an Extremely Arid Area

“…Ningbo Cui et al [25] proposed that increasing the irrigation amount and nitrogen rate could improve the total sugar and vitamin C contents of jujube; however, exceeding a certain limit would have the opposite effect, similar to conclusions drawn in our study. We used multiple regression and spatial analyses to comprehensively evaluate yield, quality, WUE, PNP, and other indicators, and the best irrigation and nitrogen application intervals [16,26] were found in the 85% overlapping areas: irrigation amount of 600-628 mm and nitrogen rate of 360-368 kg/hm 2 (Figure 7). This irrigation and nitrogen application interval provides a basis for water and nitrogen management of jujube trees with high yield, quality, and efficiency.…”

“…Thompson et al [12] and Pierr et al [15] used spatial analysis to evaluate the agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits of drip irrigation of watermelons and oilseeds, to obtain an appropriate irrigation interval. Thomas et al [12][13][14] and others [16,26,27] also applied this method to comprehensively evaluate the agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits of cauliflower under subsurface drip irrigation and nitrogen application, and determined an appropriate combination scheme by looking for overlapping areas. This method can determine an expected value and find the optimal irrigation and nitrogen application interval through overlapping areas, which is feasible in production management and popularization and application.…”

Dynamic changes in quality of jujube wine during fermentation

“…Producing more than 90% of the world's jujube with over 700 varieties and cultivars, China has witnessed significant volume raise in the past decade (Wang et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2019; Zhao, Zhang, Liu, Xue, & Pan, 2014). The production of jujube in China reached 8,240,508 tons in 2016, among which 39.61% was produced from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, due to great variance in temperature with high intensity of light in this region (Bai, Zhang, Chen, & Mercatoris, 2019; Han et al, 2015). Despite the fact that jujube production is the pillar industry in Xinjiang, unprocessed jujube is still the dominate product in current market, and deep processing jujube products occupy less than 10% (Hu et al., 2017).…”