Simulation of rice growth and yield in Rio Grande do Sul with the SimulArroz

The SimulArroz is a process-based model for simulating growth, development and yield of rice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the SimulArroz model in simulating biomass in the Central Depression of Rio Grande do Sul and grain yield in different regions that grow rice in the Rio Grande do Sul State. To test the performance of SimulArroz model in simulating biomass, an experiment was conducted at Santa Maria, RS, with four cultivars of rice (IRGA 421, BRS Querencia, IRGA 424 and SCRBSR Tio Taka) with three sowing dates during the 2011/2012 growing season (October 17, November 18 and December 19, 2011) and one sowing date in the 2012/2013 growing season (October 19, 2012). Data from the literature were used to test the predictive ability of the model in simulating grain yield. The SimulArroz model simulates with an average accuracy better than 70% of the biomass production of rice cultivars and sowing dates of rice in the Central Depression of Rio Grande do Sul as well as grain yield and its variation across the different production regions of the Rio Grande do Sul.