Modeling Preemergent Maize Shoot Growth: I. Physiological Temperature Conditions

Prediction of seedling emergence is an important first step in predicting crop establishment. There are numerous models that, under nonlimiting seedbed physical conditions, can adequately predict time to emergence using heat sums based on average daily temperatures. Under more adverse seedbed physical conditions, however, such as occur in the semiarid tropics, use of such coarse indices will tend to obscure the strong influence that even temporary extremes in soil temperature or strength can have on the time and extent of emergence, yet it is in these situations that final crop establishment and ultimately yield will be particularly sensitive to emergence predictions. One way to quantify the effect that temporary extremes in seedbed conditions have on emergence is to model the emergence process (namely, preemergent shoot growth). In this paper, we model preemergent maize ( Zea mays L.) shoot growth as a first step in characterizing seedling response to a high soil temperature and strength environment. The model, developed from shoot length data obtained under constant temperature conditions ranging from 20 to 40°C, uses an exponential function that predicts coleoptile and first internode growth rates as a function of temperature and sums the output to predict shoot length. Comparison of model predictions with independent measurements carried out in the 20 to 40°C range show that the model is capable of accurately simulating preemergent shoot growth under conditions where (i) temperatures are constant with time, (ii) temperatures of the whole seedbed vary diurnally, and (iii) temperatures within the seedbed vary with time and depth in the seedbed. However, the model was unable to predict shoot growth in situations where seedlings had been exposed to temperatures in excess of 40°C, indicating that further work is needed to assist modeling within the high temperature range.