From point to field scale: How consistent are agro-ecosystem models in terms of changes in soil texture?

Abstract : Field scale variability of soil texture contributes to the site-specific performance of water dynamics, nitrogen turnover and crop development in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. In agricultural practice, management recommendations that operate on the basis of spatially and temporally variable soil states are rarely considered, even though, having knowledge about it could help to avoid unwanted environmental impact and waste of resources (Fowler et al., 2013). Agro-ecosystem models are able to derive spatially and temporally high resolution state variables considering both, soil and crop processes. To assess selected models for future application in agricultural practice (e.g. precision farming), this study examines the consistency of yield simulation in relation to soil texture changes at the field scale.