This GCFSI-funded project will continue the development of a process-based crop model to simulate cassava growth and development in tropical areas.

Project Implementers: Julian Ramirez-Villegas, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia; and Tin Maung Aye, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Vietnam

Cassava is an important food and income generation crop for smallholders across the tropics due to its drought and heat stress tolerance. However, tools are needed to assist cassava farmers increase productivity sustainably. This GCFSI-funded project will continue the development of a process-based crop model to simulate cassava growth and development in tropical areas. Field trials with an extensive set of fertilizer treatments in Vietnam will help develop and validate the model. The model will accurately simulate above- and below-ground growth, capture the plant’s response to water stress, and simulate how nutrient uptake impacts plant development. As a result, cassava agronomists can quickly test different “what if” scenarios of various management practices and select only the most promising options for field testing.