May 1, 2025 | 1.00 PM to 5.00 PM | Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Presented by USDA-ARS Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory (ACSL) in association with Nebraska Water Center at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Register at go.unl.edu/CLASSIMreg
USDA-ARS Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory (ACSL), in association with Nebraska Water Center, will conduct a half-day workshop/demo on ‘Crop Simulation Models for Agricultural Systems Applications - Introducing the CLASSIM Interface’. This workshop will be conducted as part of the Water for Food Global conference that will be held April 28-May 2, 2025, hosted by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Registration for the workshop is separate from registration for the Water for Food Global Conference. The cost to attend this workshop is $50.
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, and are integrated with a two-dimensional finite element-based soil process simulator.
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.
Workshop Goal and Objectives:
The goal of the workshop is to familiarize participants with the USDA-ARS ACSL crop models and CLASSIM. The 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. Instructors for the workshop will be scientists from the USDA ARS lab in Beltsville.
Agenda:
- 12:45 – 1:00 pm: Workshop check-in
- 1:00 – 1:15 pm: Intro to crop models
- 1:15 – 2:00 pm: CLASSIM Overview
- 2:00 – 3:15 pm: Demo 1
- Simulating the impact of different irrigation and nitrogen application strategies on crop growth and development
- Discussion on identifying best management practices for improved input use efficiency
- 3:15 – 3:30 pm: Break (light refreshments provided)
- 3:30 – 4:30 pm: Demo 2
- Assessing the impact of different management scenarios on soil water and nitrogen dynamics
- Discussion on applying the findings to practical agricultural management decisions
- 4:30 – 5:00 pm: Q&A and Discussion
Target audience:
The workshop is designed for students, faculty, and agronomists who are interested in using simulation models for agricultural decisions and what-if scenario analysis.
Participants will need to bring a laptop with CLASSIM installed (Download instructions).
Registration:
Register for the workshop at go.unl.edu/CLASSIMreg. The number of participants will be limited to 25. Participants are welcome to attend just the workshop or the workshop and the Water for Food Global Conference. If you are attending both events, you will need to register for the workshop in addition to registering for the conference.
Links: USDA ARS ACSL-CLASSIM
