Yield-SAFE model improvements

Yield-SAFE is a daily-time-step model which can describe the yields of crops and trees in agricultural, agroforestry, and forestry systems (van der Werf et al., 2007). The report below describes some additional routines incorporated into the model. Section 2 describes the maintenance respiration of grass crops and the use of vapour pressure deficit data to predict transpiration rates. Section 3 describes new routines to model cork and fruit production, to modify water uptake by trees in relation to the fine root mass, and to predict the effect of trees on temperature and wind speed. Section 4 describes routines to predict the turnover of soil organic carbon and the leaching of nitrate. Section 5 explains the estimation of a livestock carrying capacity and Section 6 describes the development of a web-based version of Yield-SAFE.

Palma, J.H.N., Graves, A.R., Crous-Duran J, Upson, M., Paulo, J.A., Oliveira, T.S., Silvestre Garcia de Jalón, S., Burgess, P.J. (2016). Yield-SAFE Model Improvements. Milestone Report 29 (6.4) for EU FP7 Research Project: AGFORWARD 613520. (5 July 2016). 30 pp.

Reference

van der Werf, W., Keesman, K., Burgess, P.J., Graves, A.R., Pilbeam, D., Incoll, L.D., Metselaar, K., Mayus, M., Stappers, R., van Keulen, H., Palma, J.H.N., Dupraz, C. (2007). Yield-SAFE: A parameter-sparse, process-based dynamic model for predicting resource capture, growth, and production in agroforestry systems. Ecological Engineering 29: 419–433