The PILOTE-N model for improving water and nitrogen management practices: Application in a Mediterranean context

Abstract

In this paper we present PILOTE-N, a crop model devoted to the calculation of crop production from the joint water and nitrogen soil status effects. It is the extension of PILOTE, for contexts in which water might not be the sole limiting factor for crop yield, but the same model structure and credo of parsimonious parameterisation have been kept, assuming simplified descriptions of the physical processes at play. One original aspect of PILOTE-N is the calculation of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and cumulative nitrogen plant demand from similar logistic-type functions. LAI is controlled by specific temperature sums, shape parameters and the occurrence of water and nitrogen stresses, while the time average of LAI values over critical phenological periods also affects the predicted harvest index and crop yield. As specific plant parameters are known from PILOTE, calibration was devoted to nitrogen parameters. Which governing the daily-averaged mineralization rate in a first step, then the two shape parameters of the potential nitrogen plant demand (from the dilution curve) in a second step and, at last, which allowing the link between nitrogen uptake and nitrogen of the soil. Model performance was evaluated using multiple initial soil conditions, irrigation and fertilization strategies for corn, durum wheat and sorghum, over a climatic series of 14 years, at the experimental plot of Lavalette (Montpellier, SouthEast of France), hence in a Mediterranean context characterized by severe, water stresses during summer, typically exceeding nitrogen stresses. Crop yield as well as the dynamics of nitrogen budget were correctly simulated (R 2 >0.94 for grain yield, total dry matter and nitrogen in plant). The robustness of such a simple and easy-to-calibrate tool is expected to facilitate its use and implementation in other agro-pedoclimatic contexts, to decipher the effect of abiotic stresses and improve irrigation and fertilization scenarios when included in dedicated tools.

Effect of urea fertilizer concentration on water and nitrogen transport and transformation in soil in a film‐hole multi‐line interference infiltration system*

“…The change rate of soil nitrate nitrogen with conversion time irrigation methods and influencing factors of film-hole irrigation were comprehensively evaluated from the soil water and nutrient perspectives, and the numerical simulation of soil water and nitrogen migration and transformation under the conditions of water and fertilizer absorption by film-hole irrigated crops was studied to reveal the patterns of soil water and nitrogen migration and transformation (Saeed and Mahmood, 2013;Mailhol et al, 2018).…”

Optimizing Tomato Water and Fertilizer Uses in Smallholder Farms in South Africa Using the Piloten Model

“…A succinct description of PILOTEN is provided in this paper. The reader may refer to Mailhol et al () for the complete description of PILOTEN.…”

“…The PILOTEN (Mailhol et al , ) crop model has recently been proposed to address the dynamic interactions between crop development and soil water, nitrogen (N) and salinity contents. The development of this model aimed to provide a simplified tool to produce guidelines to irrigation and fertilization management for farmers, distinguishing itself from renowned but often sophisticated crop models such as WOFOST (van Diepen et al , ), STICS (Brisson et al , ) and AquaCrop (Steduto et al , ).…”

“…This model has already been successfully applied for annual crops under different irrigation techniques including sprinkler (Mailhol et al , ), furrow (Mailhol et al , ) and drip irrigation (Mailhol et al , ). Mailhol et al () used PILOTEN to predict water and N budget and biomass production of maize (samsara and PR35Y65 varieties), durum wheat (Artimond and Dakter varieties) and sorghum ( Argens variety) with reasonable results.…”

Soil water balance models for determining crop water and irrigation requirements and irrigation scheduling focusing on the FAO56 method and the dual Kc approach

“…Meanwhile, ISAREG was the base of SIMDualKc (Rosa et al, 2012a), described in the next Section. PILOTE software has been continuously improved and it became a crop model with various capabilities including irrigation and crop management (Mailhol et al, 2004(Mailhol et al, , 2018.…”