I am currently undertaking a study on long-term soil fertility changes and organic matter dynamics in cocoa plantations.
I would like to study the effect of organic amendments and fertilizers on soil, and if possible, on cocoa productivity.
I have access to sites to perform a range of analyses, but given the timescale at which cocoa plantations develops, modelling is a complementary tool to understand how soil have changed in the past, and how they could be changed through different management practices.
I looked into the WalNulCas model, but cocoa is not parametrised yet in the crop library.
There is CASE2, a cocoa physiological production model, but soil changes are not integrated (only water regimes).
There is CENTURY, but I am not sure that a cocoa agroforestry system can be simulated with it.
I am currently going for AMG/Hénin-Dupuis, as a plan B, to look at soil changes, but it won't help me with cocoa growth, development and production.
Any suggestions?
Check this links maybe help you
https://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/WaNuLCAS/Introduction%20to%20AF%20modeling%20and%20Wanulcas.pdf
https://www.worldagroforestry.org/publication/potential-agroforestry-soil-conservation-part-3-soil-changes-under-agroforestry-scuaf
Thank you Jaime Cuauhtemoc Negrete ,
I did read the documentation of WalNuLCAS, but cocoa is not yet in the crop library, and I am not sure I can achieve that during my PhD.
I will give it a try though...
I will also have a look at the SCUAF model, thanks.
Hi
First u go thro gh DSAAT and apsim application software where u can find whether cocoa module available or not
I am not a specialist of models, yet I think that to do model properly you shall first have a clear-cut question. Yours seems very large and if you wish to answer to it it shall take some years as you would need to build a model yourself or adapt one such as Wanulcas to cocoa. What do you want to know exactly and for which field design? As i read your question, it seems to me that it is a full-factorial trial which answers do not need the use of a mathematical model per se . If you want to do something complementary to your "analyses", modelling may not be the right choice.
All the best,
Stéphane
Hi Stephane,
To make things simple, I would like to model the variations of soil organic matter stocks (like it is frequently done for arable crops over the world).
It should first be able to produce results matching present measurements, to a satisfactory extent.
Then, if the quality of the predictions are strong enough, we could start making prediction for future trends, with different strategies concerning organic additions (x amount of manure, or y amount of compost, every 5 years, or 10, etc.).
We do not have really access to controlled trials at this point, so the model should be able to work based on relatively good farm data...
But there might be good trials joining the project in the future.
Hi Thomas Fungenzi ,
Have you find an answer to your question ?
What do you mean "In WalNulCas model, cocoa is not parametrised yet in the crop library" ?
I'm currently using WalNulCas model to simulate cocoa-based agroforestry systems.
Let me know if you are still looking for a model to simulate soil changes in cocoa-based agroforestry systems.
Hi Karen,
The version I had did not have cocoa fully parametrized. I recently met someone with a newer version, and cocoa has now been parametrized.
Could you share with us the download link of the version you use?
Thanks
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