Khodke, U.M.Sangale, Bhagwan Bhanudas2022-09-092022-09-092022-01-0322001https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810187495The present project entitled, “Crop Growth Simulation of Maize Using DSSAT Model” carried out during year 2020-2021 at the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, CAET, VNMKV, Parbhani. The project aimed with specific objectives of calibration of DSSAT model and to study effect of different irrigation and fertigation levels on crop growth and yield attributing parameters with evaluation of performance of the DSSAT model. Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important food and fodder crop which occupies third rank among cereals after wheat and rice in the world. Drip fertigation optimizes the use of water and fertilizers with higher yields, quality produce with increasing water and fertilizer use efficiency. The design of the field experiment was prepared considering split plot design with irrigation levels as the main factor and fertilizer levels as the sub factors. The treatment consisted of three irrigation levels I1 (1.0 ETc), I2 (0.8 ETc) and I3 (0.6 ETc) and five fertilizer levels viz. F0 (No fertilizer), F1 (100 % RDF through fertigation), F2 (75 % RDF through fertigation), F3 (50 % RDF through fertigation) and F4 (100 % RDF through soil application) with recommended dose of fertilizers was 150:75:75 kg/ha NPK. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) is one such software application program that comprises crop simulation models for over 42 crops (as of Version 4.7.5) as well as tools to facilitate effective use of the model to aid farmers in developing long term crop rotational strategies. The DSSAT model was calibrated by using the data of field experiment conducted on response of maize hybrid to drip irrigation and fertigation levels in post kharif season conducted during 2017-18, which includes variety of crop, cropping history, crop management data, soil surface characteristics and soil profile data and daily weather data including total rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature, daily sun shine hours data, relative humidity. The plots under 100% ETc (I1) and 100% RDF (F1) a full irrigation fertilizer treatment of experiment during which crop was almost under non-stress conditions were used to provide necessary information for the calibration of DSSAT. The remaining treatments were used in validating the model. The genetic coefficients of variety DKC- 9149 used in analysis of the model were estimated by repeated reiterations until close match between simulated and observed crop parameters was obtained for all the treatments. Crop parameters such as crop yield, stover yield, biological yield, harvest index and leaf area and leaf area index were estimated. The CERES Maize model of DSSAT underpredicts grain yield, total biological yields and harvest index of maize under all treatments whereas there is good agreement between observed and simulated results in regards with stover yield and leaf area index of maize. The significant association was observed between predicted and measured values of harvest index and leaf area index with correlation coefficient (0.747) and (0.756) respectively, which indicates that the CERES maize model predicted harvest index and leaf area index of maize fairly well.EnglishThesis