Jr. Kiniry et al., EPIC MODEL PARAMETERS FOR CEREAL, OILSEED, AND FORAGE CROPS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT-PLAINS REGION, Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 75(3), 1995, pp. 679-688
The EPIC computer simulation model has potential for assessing agricul
tural management scenarios in the northern Great Plains region of the
United States and western Canada. The objectives of this study were to
develop parameters for economically important crop and forage species
grown in these regions and to determine whether EPIC could use these
parameters to reasonably simulate yields. Parameters for leaf-area dev
elopment, temperature responses, biomass growth and partitioning, and
nutrient concentrations were derived from data in the literature for s
pring canola, wheat, barley, maize and six forage species. Because of
the growing importance of canola in Canada and the United States, much
emphasis was placed on deriving its parameters. With these inputs, EP
IC reasonably simulated forage and crop yields in six locations and ca
nola yields in four locations. The model should provide reasonable sim
ulations for a wide range of applications throughout these regions.