Hybrid-Maize 2016

Hybrid-Maize 2016 has several major improvements over the earlier version, especially for rainfed maize with periodical water stress. Specifically, the improvements are on root distribution, impacts of waters tress on canopy development and kernel setting, effect of soil surface coverage on soil evaporation, inclusion of runoff in water balance, estimation of soil water content from off-season weather data, and a new scheme of batch run for research applications.

Hybrid-Maize is a computer program that simulates the growth of a corn crop (Zea mays L.) under non-limiting or water-limited (rainfed or irrigated) conditions based on daily weather data. Specifically, it allows the user to:

• Assess the overall site yield potential and its variability based on historical weather data

• Evaluate changes in attainable yield using different combinations of planting date, hybrid maturity, and plant density

• Explore options for optimal irrigation management

• Conduct in-season simulations to evaluate actual growth up to the current date based on real-time weather data, and to forecast final yield scenarios based on historical weather data for the remainder of the growing season.

Hybrid-Maize does NOT allow assessment of different options for nutrient management nor does it account for yield losses due to weeds, insects, diseases, lodging, and other stresses.

Hybrid-Maize has been evaluated primarily in rainfed and irrigated maize systems of the US Corn Belt. Caution should be exercised when applying this model to other environments as this may require changes in some of the default model parameters. As with all simulation models, Hybrid-Maize still represents a simplification of the ‘real-world’ system and, as such, model predictions may differ from actual outcomes. Therefore, the results of model simulations should be considered approximations and not taken as fact.