Soil & Crop Module
The Soil and Crop Module simulates the daily changes in soil composition and crop growth based on nutrient availability, weather and soil types. It simulates user-provided management practices including application of manure or synthetic fertilizer, tillage, planting and harvesting.
What does it do?
Soil nutrient composition is integral to proper estimation of crop growth, nutrient cycling, and emissions. RuFaS uses the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) database for soil information, but some of this information is dated. Therefore, the more historical individual farm data that can be provided, the more accurate the outputs will be.
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What inputs do I need?
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Field
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Location, size, irrigation rates.
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Crop rotation
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Crop and harvest type, planting and harvest dates, and planting order.
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Nutrient application
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Dates, quantities, depth and % remaining on surface, mix or manure type.
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Tillage
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Dates, implement, depth, mixing and incorporation fractions.
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How does it work?
Based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+), Daycent, and SurPhos models, RuFaS models the nitrogen cycle (denitrification and nitrification), soil water infiltration, percolation, and saturation leading to runoff, the phosphorus and carbon cycles. The Soil and Crop module is connected to the Manure and Feed Storage Modules to manage inventories of the harvested crops and provide feed to the herd based on availability.
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What outputs can I expect?
Key outputs of interest include: ​
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Crop
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Growth / biomass accumulation.
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Harvest yields.
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Field
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Soil carbon stock change.
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Nâ‚‚O and COâ‚‚ emissions.
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Nitrate percolation and phosphorus runoff.
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Soil erosion.
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Future of the Soil and Crop Module
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Dynamic updates to attributes like neutral detergent fiber (NDF), crude protein (CP), and starch based on the crop type, growing conditions, and planting and harvest dates.
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Updates will include the ability to create a schedule that can run at certain times of the year and then be edited at other times of the year.
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Expanded selection of pre-defined common crops.
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Future versions of RuFaS such that multiple harvest types can occur at one time.
