Pear Tree Growth Simulation and Soil Moisture Assessment Considering Pruning

Chengkun Wang, Nannan Zhang, Mingzhe Li, Li Li and Tiecheng Bai ()
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Chengkun Wang: School of Information Engineering, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China
Nannan Zhang: School of Information Engineering, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China
Mingzhe Li: School of Information Engineering, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China
Li Li: School of Information Engineering, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China
Tiecheng Bai: School of Information Engineering, Tarim University, Alaer 843300, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-26

Abstract: Few studies deal with the application of crop growth models to fruit trees. This research focuses on simulating the growth process, yield and soil moisture assessment of pear trees, considering pruning with a modified WOrld FOod Studies (WOFOST) model. Field trials (eight pruning treatments) were conducted in pear orchards in Alaer and Awat in Xinjiang, China and data were measured to calibrate and evaluate the modified model. In two pear orchards, the simulated total dry weight of storage organs (TWSO) and leaf area index (LAI) were in good agreement with the field measurements of each pruning intensity treatment, indicating that the R 2 values of TWSO ranged from 0.899 to 0.976, and the R 2 values of LAI ranged from 0.849 to 0.924. The modified model also showed high accuracy, with a normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) ranging from 12.19% to 26.11% for TWSO, and the NRMSE values for LAI were less than 10%. The modified model also had a good simulation performance for the soil moisture (SM) under all eight pruning intensity treatments, showing good agreement (0.703 ≤ R 2 ≤ 0.878) and low error (NRMSE ≤ 7.47%). The measured and simulated results of different pruning intensities showed that the highest yield of pear trees was achieved when the pruning intensity was about 20%, and the yield increased and then decreased with the increase in pruning intensity. In conclusion, the modified WOFOST model can better describe the effects of summer pruning on pear tree growth, yield and soil moisture than the unmodified model, providing a promising quantitative analysis method for the numerical simulation and soil moisture assessment of fruit tree growth.

Keywords: pear tree; grow simulation; yield assessment; pruning; soil moisture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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