Decision-Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT)

The DSSAT software package comprises crop simulation models for over 42 crops. The DSSAT suite consists of : 1) data base management system for soil, weather, genetic coefficients, and management inputs, 2) crop simulation models, 3) series of utility programs, 4) series of weather generation programs, 5) strategy evaluation program to evaluate options including choice of variety, planting date, plant population density, row spacing, soil type, irrigation, fertilizer application, initial conditions on yields, water stress in the vegetative or reproductive stages of development, and net returns. DSSAT models simulate growth, development and yield of crops as a function of the soil-plant-atmosphere-management dynamics. The crop models require daily weather data, soil surface and profile information, detailed crop management and crop genetic information as input. Given its capabilities DSSAT and its crop simulation models have been used for many applications ranging from on-farm and precision management to regional assessments of the impact of climate variability and climate change. DSSAT has the potential to reduce substantially the time and cost of field experimentation necessary for adequate evaluation of new cultivars and new management systems. However, the data requirements of DSSAT are so encompassing that there is little scope of use outside well-equipped experimentation stations, limiting its potential use for land use planning in developing countries. A somewhat more user-friendly and less data-hungry alternative to DSSAT is the CropSyst crop simulation model.