THE SCHOOL-OF-DE-WIT-CROP GROWTH SIMULATION-MODELS - A PEDIGREE AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

In this paper, a pedigree of the crop growth simulation models by the 'School of de Wit' is presented. The origins and philosophy of this sc hool are traced from de Wit's classical publication on modelling photo synthesis of leaf canopies in 1965. It is shown how changing research goals and priorities over the years have resulted in the evolution of a pedigree of models that are similar in philosophy but differ in leve l of complexity, the processes addressed and their functionality. In t he beginning, modelling was motivated by the quest for scientific insi ght and the wish to quantify and integrate biophysical processes to ex plain the observed variation in crop growth. Later, the emphasis of, a nd funding for, agricultural research shifted towards putting acquired insights to practical and operational use. Model development became l ed by a demand for tactical and strategic decision support, yield fore casting, land zonation and explorative scenario studies. Modelling dev elopments for different production situations are illustrated using th e models the authors consider most important, i.e. BACROS, SUCROS, WOF OST, MACROS and LINTUL, but reference is also made to other models. Fi nally, comments are made about the usefulness and applicability of the se models after nearly 30 years of development, and some future course s of action are suggested. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Sc ience Ltd