Student/presenter: Bishnu Ghimire, Ph.D. student, Plant and Soil Science
Format: Oral presentation
Title: Simulating cotton growth and yield in different nitrogen rates using DSSAT in dryland cotton farming in West Texas
Bishnu Ghimire1, Rupak Karn1, Haibin Gu1, Wenxuan Guo1,2
1Texas Tech University, Department of Plant and Soil Science
2Texas A&M AgriLife Research
The Southern High Plains of Texas is a leading cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) production region in the US. The depletion of the Ogallala aquifer necessitates dryland cotton cropping in this region. Optimization of nitrogen fertilizers is critical to making cotton production profitable and sustainable. Crop models are the dynamic tools that provide decision support in the enhanced management of cropping systems. The objective of this research was to predict cotton growth and yield under different rates of nitrogen using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer Cropping System (DSSAT CSM) CROPGRO-cotton program for dryland conditions. Three different rates (0, 34, 67 kg/ha) of nitrogen were applied during the planting season. Plant biomass, plant height, Leaf Area Index (LAI), and cotton yield were measured along with soil texture, PH, and total nitrogen. The model was first calibrated with in-season data of 2020 and then evaluated using the 2021 field data. The model accurately predicted in-season biomass and cotton yield. The results showed that the DSSAT CSM CROPGRO-cotton model demonstrated the potential to predict the nitrogen effect on cotton growth and yield in dryland cotton farming.