Título:	Performance of the SWAP–WOFOST model for simulating cotton growth and yield under tropical cerrado conditions.
Autoria:	BENDER, E. P. RODRÍGUEZ, L. D. JANTALIA, C. P. GONÇALVES, A. O. TEIXEIRA, P. C. LYRA, G. B.
Afiliação:	EDUARDO PIRES BENDER, UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SERGIPE; LUIS DAMIAN RODRÍGUEZ, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF THE CENTER OF THE PROVINCE OF BUENOS AIRES; CLAUDIA POZZI JANTALIA, CNPS; ALEXANDRE ORTEGA GONCALVES, CNPS; PAULO CESAR TEIXEIRA, CNPS; GUSTAVO BASTOS LYRA, UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL RURAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO.
Ano de publicação:	2026
Referência:	International Journal of Plant Production, v. 20, n. 3, 68, 2026.
Conteúdo:	Process-based agro-hydrological models are essential tools for assessing crop growth and yield under contrasting management and environmental conditions. This study assessed the performance of the coupled Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant and World Food Studies Simulation Model (SWAP–WOFOST) to simulate cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L., cv. FiberMax 975 Wild Strike®) growth and yield under tropical Cerrado conditions in western Bahia, Brazil. Field experiments were carried out during the 2014/2015 growing season under three nitrogen management treatments: ammonium sulfate®, prilled urea®, and a control without nitrogen fertilization. The SWAP component was calibrated to simulate soil water dynamics, whereas WOFOST was used to represent crop growth and yield. Model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R²), Willmott’s agreement index (d-index), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and the performance index (c-index). The SWAP model showed limited performance in simulating soil volumetric water content, with low precision (R²), agreement (d-index) and efficiency (NSE), indicating limitations in representing near-surface soil water dynamics, particularly after rainfall events. In contrast, the WOFOST component showed excellent performance in simulating leaf area index, reproductive structure biomass, and total aboveground biomass across all treatments. These results indicate that, despite limitations in soil water content representation, the coupled SWAP–WOFOST framework was robust for simulating cotton growth and yield responses under contrasting nitrogen management strategies. The model may support assessments of crop performance and nitrogen fertilization strategies under tropical Cerrado conditions.
NAL Thesaurus:	Tropical agriculture Nitrogen fertilizers
Palavras-chave:	Crop modelling Soil–plant–atmosphere system Agricultura tropical Sistema solo-planta-atmosfera Adubação nitrogenada Modelagem de culturas
Digital Object Identifier:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-026-00449-4
Tipo do material:	Artigo de periódico
Acesso:	openAccess
Aparece nas coleções:	Artigo em periódico indexado (CNPS)