2024.01 – 2026.12: Study on the expansion of silage maize in the agro-pastoral ecotone in North China by assimilating remote sensing data into crop growth model.

Abstract

The northern agro-pastoral ecotone is a significant region connecting the eastern agricultural areas and the western grassland pastoral areas in China. However, the long-term imbalance of grain and feed structure poses considerable challenges to the sustainable development of local agriculture and animal husbandry. To address this issue, the government has proposed the agricultural planting structure adjustment strategy focusing on reducing grain and increasing feed, primarily by reducing grain corn and expanding silage corn and other high-quality forages. However, systematic research is currently lacking on how to reduce grain corn, where to expand silage corn, and how to ensure comprehensive income during adjustment and expanding process. To address these gaps, the project plans to use the data assimilation method to couple the remote sensing observation data of MODIS leaf area index and evapotranspiration time series with WOFOST crop growth model.This will enable the simulation of the yield spatial distribution of silage corn under the same water consumption as grain corn, based on evaluating the water consumption and yield status of grain corn in the northern agro-pastoral ecotone. By comparing and analyzing the water consumption per unit yield of grain maize and silage maize, as well as the comprehensive income before and after grain maize reduction (loss) and silage maize expansion (profit), the key areas of silage corn expansion will be determined scientifically and reasonably. The results are expected to provide a scientific basis for the adjustment of agricultural planting structure in the northern agro-pastoral ecotone

Key words

crop growth model; data assimilation; multispectral remote sensing; crop yield estimation; silage corn