March 17, March 31, April 14, April 28: 9 to 11 am (US Central time (UTC-6)
Hosted by Nebraska Water Center at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in association with the USDA-ARS Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory (ACSL)
Registration is limited to 30 participants. Visit https://cvent.me/gBEPPZ for more information and to register.
The Nebraska Water Center, in association with USDA-ARS Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory (ACSL) will conduct a virtual training workshop on Crop Simulation Modeling for Agricultural Systems using CLASSIM. This training workshop will be taught in four, two- hour biweekly virtual sessions. Registration for the workshop is limited to 30 participants and can be done by visiting https://cvent.me/gBEPPZ by March 1st, 2026. A modest fee of $50 for students or $100 for faculty will be assessed.
USDA-ARS ACSL Crop Models and CLASSIM
ACSL is at the forefront of developing and improving mechanistic, process-based crop and soil models. These models simulate crop growth and development, yield, root growth, soil water, nutrient, heat and gas dynamics, soil carbon and nitrogen transformations, and gas emissions, and account for environmental, cultivar, and management interactions. The crop models were recently updated with more accurate components for predicting photosynthesis and transpiration, including improved functions for high-temperature responses. A unique advantage of these models is that they are tightly coupled to a two-dimensional finite element-based soil module to enhance water and chemical transport studies.
USDA-ARS ACSL developed the Crop Land And Soil SIMulation (CLASSIM) graphical user interface to provide standardized access to these crop models. CLASSIM is designed to function as a standalone Windows-based application. This Python-based interface simplifies the use of USDA crop models for corn, cotton, potato, soybean and cereal rye and will be expanded for wheat and rice within the next 12 months.
Workshop Goal and Objectives:
The goal of the workshop is to familiarize participants with the USDA-ARS ACSL crop models and CLASSIM. Workshop will consist of a mix of lectures and hands-on training using preset examples. Lectures will address the (a) science behind the models, (b) the different modules used to represent soil-plant-atmospheric components, (c) crop input data requirements, (d) model outputs and other model capabilities. Training will provide participants with the opportunity to simulate different agricultural scenarios and interpret the variability in plant growth, development and yield responses to different management and environmental conditions.
Agenda:
Session 1: March 17, 9 am to 11 am US Central Time (UTC-6)
- Overview of course structure and goals / Discussion of participant interests / CLASSIM install status
- Crop modeling overview
- Hands-on training on CLASSIM input data use
Session 2: March 31, 9 am to 11 am US Central Time (UTC-6)
- Hands-on tutorial with exercises regarding irrigation and fertilization management
- User-led analyses of additional management scenarios
Session 3: April 14, 9 am to 11 am US Central Time (UTC-6)
- Exploring sensitivity analyses with weather and soil variations
- Interpretation of results and model outputs
- Participants test their own crop scenarios with assistance from moderators / or use CLASSIM tutorials
Session 4: April 28, 9 am to 11 am US Central Time (UTC-6)
- Discussion of participant questions and comments
- Demo of use for in-season water and nitrogen management
- Demo of upcoming CLASSIM features
