A SIMULATION-MODEL FOR THE DYNAMICS OF RICE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT .1. THE CARBON BALANCE

A demographic model for rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and development as affected by temperature and solar radiation under non-limiting water and nutrient conditions is presented. A distributed delay model is used to describe the dynamics of tiller production and culm, leaf, root, and grain mass growth. Photosynthesis is simulated with a modified functional response model from predation theory, an approach successfully applied to estimate energy (dry mass) acquisition in several crops and across different trophic levels. The ratios of carbohydrate supply and demand scale all growth and production rates of plant subunits. The model results are compared to 1984/85 and 1986/87 data from Madagascar. The effects of transplanting delays and varying planting densities on rice growth and yield are explored. © 1990.