Crops and Operations Information

WEPS Crop Database

In the plant growth sub-model of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), crop growth and biomass is a result of solar radiation and then partitioned to root and shoot parts. The shoot mass is partitioned into leaf, stem, and reproductive masses.

Finally, the reproductive mass is partitioned into grain and chaff parts. Development of the crop in WEPS is a function of the heat-unit index, which is the ratio of the heat units (growing degree days) at any time during the growing season to the total amount of heat units required to grow a crop from planting to maturity.

To perform these and other operations, crop growth in WEPS is configured by a set of parameters that define and drive the growth processes represented in the model code.  Reasonable crop growth in different environments is achieved by setting the appropriate parameter values for the type of crop being grown. 

The processes and parameters for crop growth in WEPS are defined by the current WEPS Crops Database.  

For more information refer to Chapter 6-3 in the  WEPS User Manual.

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WEPS Operation Database

In the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), changes in the “state” of the surface, soil, and biomass (residue and live vegetation) during a simulation are modeled, because they have a direct impact upon a site’s susceptibility to wind erosion.

Cultural practices applied during management of a site can significantly influence a site’s “surface, soil, and biomass” state over time. It is an important variable because it is the primary factor that a land manager can most easily change in the field to affect a site’s susceptibility to wind erosion. WEPS simulates many management practices, which typically include operations like tillage, cultivation, planting, harvesting, irrigation, residue burning, etc.

WEPS can represent a wide range of typical management operations used on agricultural crop land. It does so by defining each operation as an ordered list of “processes”, which represent physical actions like residue burial, soil loosening and mixing, etc., that occur when that operation is performed on the field.

The processes and parameters for management operations in WEPS are defined by the current WEPS Operations Database. 

For more information refer to Chapter 6-4 in the WEPS User Manual.

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