OILCROP-SUN Model Relevance for Evaluation of Nitrogen Management of Sunflower Hybrids in Sargodha, Punjab

Ashfaq Ahmad, Amjed Ali, Tasneem Khaliq, Syed Aftab Wajid, Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Ibrahim, Hafiz Muhammad Rashad Javeed, Gerrit Hoogenboom

Agro-Climatology Lab, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan;.
College of Agriculture, D. G. Khan, Pakistan;.
NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology, Multan, Pakistan;.
University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan;.
Washington State University, Pullman, USA..

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2013.49212                

Abstract

The experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of crop system (DSSAT) OILCROP-SUN model simulating growth & development and achene yield of sunflower hybrids in response to nitrogen under irrigated conditions in semi arid environment, Sargodha, Punjab. The model was evaluated with observed data collected in trials which were conducted during spring season in 2010 and 2011 in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Split plot design was used in layout of experiment with three replications. The hybrids (Hysun-33 & S-278) and N levels (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg^.ha^-1) were allotted in main and sub plots, respectively. The OILCROP-SUN model showed that the model was able to simulate growth and yield of sunflower with an average of 10.44 error% between observed and simulated achene yield (AY). The results of simulation analysis indicated that nitrogen rate of 150 kg^.N^.ha^-1 (N₃) produced the highest yield as compared to other treatments. Furthermore, the economic analysis through mean Gini Dominance also showed the dominance of this treatment compared to other treatment combinations. Thus management strategy consisting of treatment 150 kg^.N^.ha^-1 was the best for high yield of sunflower hybrids.

Keywords

Decision Support System for Agro-Technology Transfer; Nitrogen; Achene Yield; Crop Modeling

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	H. Badar, M. S. Javed, A. Ali and Z. Batool, “Production and Marketing Constraints Limiting Sunflower Production in Punjab (Pakistan),” International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2002, pp. 267-271.
[2]	M. A. Malik, M. F. Saleem, M. Sana and A. Rehman, “Suitable Level of N, P and K for Harvesting the Maximum Returns of Sunflower,” International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2004, pp. 240-242.
[3]	J. Bakht, S. Ahmad, M. Tariq, H. Akbar and M. Shafi, “Performance of Various Hybrids of Sunflower in Peshawar Valley,” Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 3, 2006, pp. 25-29.
[4]	D. Karaaslan, A. Hatipoglu, Z. Turk and Y. Kaya, “Determination of Potential Sunflower Cultivars for the Irrigated Conditions of Diyarbakir,” Helia, Vol. 33 No. 52, 2010, pp. 145-152. doi:10.2298/HEL1052145K
[5]	W. Nasim, A. Ahmad, A. Bano, R, Olatinwo, M. Usman, T. Khaliq. A. Wajid, H. M. Hammad, M. Mubeen and M. Hussain, “Effect of Nitrogen on Yield and Quality of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Hybrids under Sub Humid Conditions of Pakistan,” American Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol. 3, 2012, pp. 243-251.
[6]	T. Khaliq, A. Ahmad, A. hussain and M. A. Ali, “Impact of Nitrogen Rate on Growth, Yield and Radition Use Efficiency of Maize under Varying Environments,” Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2008, pp. 1-7.
[7]	S. C. Chapman, G. L. Hammer and H. Meinke, “A Sunflower Simulation Model: 1. Model Development,” Agronomy Journal, Vol. 85, No. 3, 1993, pp. 725-735. doi:10.2134/agronj1993.00021962008500030038x
[8]	T. Horie, “Simulation of Sunflower Growth, Formulation and Parameterization of Dry Matter Production, Leaf Photosynthesis, Respiration and Partitioning of Photosynthates,” Bulletin of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Vol. 24, 1997, pp. 47-70.
[9]	IBSRAM, “Soil Water and Nutrient Management Research. A New Agenda (CGIAR Document MT/94/07),” International Board for Soil Research and Management, Thailand, 1994.
[10]	S. Ahmad, A. Ahmad, C. Manuela, T. Soler, H. Ali, M. Zia-ul-Haq, J. Anothai, A. Hussain, G. Hoogenboom and M. Hasanuzzaman, “Application of the CSM-CERES-Rice Model for Evaluation of Plant Density and Nitrogen Management of Fine Transplanted Rice for an Irrigated Semi Arid Environment,” Precision Agriculture, Vol. 13, No. 2, 2012, pp. 200-218. doi:10.1007/s11119-011-9238-1
[11]	T. Fourcaud, X. Zhang, A. Stokes, H. Lambers and C. Korner, “Plant Growth Modeling and Applications: The Increasing Importance of Plant Architecture in Growth Models,” Annals of Botany, Vol. 101, 2008, pp. 1053-1063. doi:10.1093/aob/mcn050
[12]	B. Li, M. Jaeger and Y. Guo, “Plant Growth Modeling Simulation, Visualization and Applications,” Proceedings of PMA09, IEEE Computer Society, Los Alamitos, 2008, pp. 78-86.
[13]	R. Hunt, D. R. Causton, B. Shipley and A. P. Askew, “A Modern Tool for Classical Plant Growth Analysis,” Annals of Botany, Vol. 90, No. 4, 2002, pp. 485-488. doi:10.1093/aob/mcf214
[14]	G. Hoogenboom, J. W. Jones, P. W. Wilkens, C. H. Porter, W. D. Batchelor, L. A. Hunt, K. J. Boote, U. Singh, O. Uryasev, W. T. Boown, A. Gijsman, A. du Toit, J. W. White and G. Y. Tsuji, “Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer,” V. 4.0 [CD-ROM], University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 2004.
[15]	G. A. Pereyra-Irujo and L. A. N. Aguirrezabal, “Sunflower Yield and Oil Quality Interactions and Variability: Analysis through a Simple Simulation Model,” Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 143, No. 3, 2007, pp. 252-265. doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2007.01.001
[16]	N. K. Tyagi, D. K. Sharma and S. K. Luthra, “Determination of Evapo-Transpiration and Crop Coefficients of Rice and Sunflower with Lysimeter,” Agricultural Water Management, Vol. 45, No. 1, 2008, pp. 41-54.
[17]	N. Diodato and G. Bellocchi, “Modelling Solar Radiation over Complex Terrains Using Monthly Climatological Data” Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 144, No. 1-2, 2007, pp. 111-126. doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2007.02.001
[18]	D. Wallach and B. Goffinet, “Mean Square of Prediction in Models for Studying Ecological and Agronomic Systems,” Biometrics, Vol. 43, 1989, pp. 561-573. doi:10.2307/2531995
[19]	C. J. Willmott, G. S. Akleson, R. E. Davis, J. J. Feddema, K. M. Klink, D. R. Legates, J. Odonnell and C. M. Rowe, “Statistics for the Evaluation and Comparison of Models,” Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 90, No. C5, 1985, pp. 8995-9005. doi:10.1029/JC090iC05p08995