Test of a modelling system for simulating water balances and plant growth using various different complex approaches

In this paper, a modelling system that integrates various complex model components for the purposes of water balance modelling and crop growth simulation is presented. These components are modules for calculating potential and actual evapotranspiration, crop growth and soil water balance. Two different complex simulation models obtained from the modelling system were tested using field data from two arable test sites. The modelling results show the ability of this modelling system to simulate water balance and crop growth with acceptable precision. Additionally, the impact of a recombination of the two simulation model components on the simulations of the field data was analyzed. These recombinations include an exchange of the soil water balance modules, the crop-growth models and the formulae for calculating potential evapotranspiration. This analysis indicates that the type of soil water model used is the most essential consideration for simulating the dynamics of soil water contents and percolation. The exchange of crop models and the use of different modules for calculating potential evapotranspiration affect evaporation, transpiration and interception. The impact of these rearrangements on soil water dynamics was less significant than the effects from the different soil water models.