IAGINT - Agro-environmental indicators based on digital terrain modelling for
vulnerability characterization of agricultural systems on hilly landscapes
vulnerability characterization of agricultural systems on hilly landscapes
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Objectives
The IAGINT project will address the following specific objectives:
Objective 1. Modelling effects of terrain on physical crop environment
Models developed in the project will include topographic influences on the physical driving
forces at catchment scale on the radiation regime, scalar fields (temperature, humidity) and
energy fluxes (heat, water). The models will be developed using simple solutions for
describing heat and water fluxes dynamics at soil surface, and for coupling the energy and
water balance for parameterization the crop models describing phenophases dynamics and
biomass accumulation.
Objective 2. Expand soil-crop-climate interaction model for different cropping systems
The aim of this objective is to expand the existing capacity of agro-pedo-hydro-climatic
models prognosis for the assessment of induced effect of landscape topography and
cropping system (defined as long-term crop rotation and management) for sustainable
landuse and minimization of the negative effects on economic parameters of agricultural
exploitation.
Using the models outputs agro-ecological indicators for individual crop and cropping
systems sustainability will be derivated. These indicators are considered relevant for any
assessment procedure of policies in hillslopes.
The aim of this objective is to improve the modules for emergence, crop establishment and
phenology as a function of soil water content and (soil) temperature, including extreme
climatic events (drought, heat, frost), to evaluate spatially variable radiation and water use
use efficiencies (RUE, WUE) and biomass; to include carry-over effects (moisture,
residues) and typify rotation/cropping systems according to varying intensity, and perform
sensitivity analysis of crop model vs. inputs
For sustainable arable systems in hilly terrain it is essential to reach good and fast ground
cover to maintain soil stability and fertility.
Objective 3. Integration and up-scaling of the algorithms for terrain driven energy and water
balance related to the DTM parameters
The parameters derived from modelling need to be synthesised as indicators at the
catchment level. Their generalisation is a function of the digital terrain model precision.
Thus, a tool must be developed to derive these simply from topographic and soil variables.
The aim of this objective is to study the radiation and temperature regime distribution in
landsaft based on the digital terrain model, the water regime as function of topographic
characteristics provided by DTM, and to develop sensitivity analysis concerning the
influence of slope on up-scaling the data.
Objective 4. Defining (assessing) agro-environmental indicators derived from the model for
the characterization and management of sustainable cropping systems from hilly regions;
communicating platform with the communities/local collectivises (stakeholders) and end
users
Current methods of land use and management provided planning authorities with regional
uncertainty estimates characterising some regions as sub-optimal for arable cropping. It is
hypothesised that the variation of energy and water balance due to terrain will explain a large
part of this uncertainty. Based on successive integration of information and process models
(going down) we will derive a set of agro-ecological indicators, which reflect the potential,
stability and stress impacts for a range of cropping systems. Based on derived thresholds
decisions are made to adjust cropping systems management and, ultimately, to reach
system sustainability.
The overall task of this objective will be the implementation of a risk communication system
based on agro-environmental indicators, reflecting productivity parameters spatial and
temporal distributed.
Objective 1. Modelling effects of terrain on physical crop environment
Models developed in the project will include topographic influences on the physical driving
forces at catchment scale on the radiation regime, scalar fields (temperature, humidity) and
energy fluxes (heat, water). The models will be developed using simple solutions for
describing heat and water fluxes dynamics at soil surface, and for coupling the energy and
water balance for parameterization the crop models describing phenophases dynamics and
biomass accumulation.
Objective 2. Expand soil-crop-climate interaction model for different cropping systems
The aim of this objective is to expand the existing capacity of agro-pedo-hydro-climatic
models prognosis for the assessment of induced effect of landscape topography and
cropping system (defined as long-term crop rotation and management) for sustainable
landuse and minimization of the negative effects on economic parameters of agricultural
exploitation.
Using the models outputs agro-ecological indicators for individual crop and cropping
systems sustainability will be derivated. These indicators are considered relevant for any
assessment procedure of policies in hillslopes.
The aim of this objective is to improve the modules for emergence, crop establishment and
phenology as a function of soil water content and (soil) temperature, including extreme
climatic events (drought, heat, frost), to evaluate spatially variable radiation and water use
use efficiencies (RUE, WUE) and biomass; to include carry-over effects (moisture,
residues) and typify rotation/cropping systems according to varying intensity, and perform
sensitivity analysis of crop model vs. inputs
For sustainable arable systems in hilly terrain it is essential to reach good and fast ground
cover to maintain soil stability and fertility.
Objective 3. Integration and up-scaling of the algorithms for terrain driven energy and water
balance related to the DTM parameters
The parameters derived from modelling need to be synthesised as indicators at the
catchment level. Their generalisation is a function of the digital terrain model precision.
Thus, a tool must be developed to derive these simply from topographic and soil variables.
The aim of this objective is to study the radiation and temperature regime distribution in
landsaft based on the digital terrain model, the water regime as function of topographic
characteristics provided by DTM, and to develop sensitivity analysis concerning the
influence of slope on up-scaling the data.
Objective 4. Defining (assessing) agro-environmental indicators derived from the model for
the characterization and management of sustainable cropping systems from hilly regions;
communicating platform with the communities/local collectivises (stakeholders) and end
users
Current methods of land use and management provided planning authorities with regional
uncertainty estimates characterising some regions as sub-optimal for arable cropping. It is
hypothesised that the variation of energy and water balance due to terrain will explain a large
part of this uncertainty. Based on successive integration of information and process models
(going down) we will derive a set of agro-ecological indicators, which reflect the potential,
stability and stress impacts for a range of cropping systems. Based on derived thresholds
decisions are made to adjust cropping systems management and, ultimately, to reach
system sustainability.
The overall task of this objective will be the implementation of a risk communication system
based on agro-environmental indicators, reflecting productivity parameters spatial and
temporal distributed.
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