Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa

Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is partly due to low staple crop yields, resulting from poor soil fertility and low nutrient inputs. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which includes the combined use of mineral and organic fertilizers, can contribute to increasing yields and sustaini...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Couedel, A., Falconnier, G.N., Adam, M., Cardinael, R., Boote, K., Justes, E., Smith, W.N., Whitbread, Anthony M., Affholder, F., Balkovic, J., Basso, B., Bhatia, A., Chakrabarti, B., Chikowo, R., Christina, M., Faye, B., Ferchaud, F., Folberth, C., Akinseye, F.M., Gaiser, T., Galdos, M.V., Gayler, S., Gorooei, A., Grant, B., Guibert, H., Hoogenboom, G., Kamali, B., Laub, M., Maureira, F., Mequanint, F., Nendel, C., Forter, C.H., Ripoche, D., Ruane, A.C., Rusinamhodzi, Leonard, Sharma, S., Singh, U., Six, J., Srivastava, A., Vanlauwe, Bernard, Versini, A., Vianna, M., Webber, H., Weber, T.K.D., Zhang, C., Corbeels, Marc
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139578
_version_ 1855518962719129600
author Couedel, A.
Falconnier, G.N.
Adam, M.
Cardinael, R.
Boote, K.
Justes, E.
Smith, W.N.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Affholder, F.
Balkovic, J.
Basso, B.
Bhatia, A.
Chakrabarti, B.
Chikowo, R.
Christina, M.
Faye, B.
Ferchaud, F.
Folberth, C.
Akinseye, F.M.
Gaiser, T.
Galdos, M.V.
Gayler, S.
Gorooei, A.
Grant, B.
Guibert, H.
Hoogenboom, G.
Kamali, B.
Laub, M.
Maureira, F.
Mequanint, F.
Nendel, C.
Forter, C.H.
Ripoche, D.
Ruane, A.C.
Rusinamhodzi, Leonard
Sharma, S.
Singh, U.
Six, J.
Srivastava, A.
Vanlauwe, Bernard
Versini, A.
Vianna, M.
Webber, H.
Weber, T.K.D.
Zhang, C.
Corbeels, Marc
author_browse Adam, M.
Affholder, F.
Akinseye, F.M.
Balkovic, J.
Basso, B.
Bhatia, A.
Boote, K.
Cardinael, R.
Chakrabarti, B.
Chikowo, R.
Christina, M.
Corbeels, Marc
Couedel, A.
Falconnier, G.N.
Faye, B.
Ferchaud, F.
Folberth, C.
Forter, C.H.
Gaiser, T.
Galdos, M.V.
Gayler, S.
Gorooei, A.
Grant, B.
Guibert, H.
Hoogenboom, G.
Justes, E.
Kamali, B.
Laub, M.
Maureira, F.
Mequanint, F.
Nendel, C.
Ripoche, D.
Ruane, A.C.
Rusinamhodzi, Leonard
Sharma, S.
Singh, U.
Six, J.
Smith, W.N.
Srivastava, A.
Vanlauwe, Bernard
Versini, A.
Vianna, M.
Webber, H.
Weber, T.K.D.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Zhang, C.
author_facet Couedel, A.
Falconnier, G.N.
Adam, M.
Cardinael, R.
Boote, K.
Justes, E.
Smith, W.N.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Affholder, F.
Balkovic, J.
Basso, B.
Bhatia, A.
Chakrabarti, B.
Chikowo, R.
Christina, M.
Faye, B.
Ferchaud, F.
Folberth, C.
Akinseye, F.M.
Gaiser, T.
Galdos, M.V.
Gayler, S.
Gorooei, A.
Grant, B.
Guibert, H.
Hoogenboom, G.
Kamali, B.
Laub, M.
Maureira, F.
Mequanint, F.
Nendel, C.
Forter, C.H.
Ripoche, D.
Ruane, A.C.
Rusinamhodzi, Leonard
Sharma, S.
Singh, U.
Six, J.
Srivastava, A.
Vanlauwe, Bernard
Versini, A.
Vianna, M.
Webber, H.
Weber, T.K.D.
Zhang, C.
Corbeels, Marc
author_sort Couedel, A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is partly due to low staple crop yields, resulting from poor soil fertility and low nutrient inputs. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which includes the combined use of mineral and organic fertilizers, can contribute to increasing yields and sustaining soil organic carbon (SOC) in the long term. Soil-crop simulation models can help assess the performance and trade-offs of a range of crop management practices including ISFM, under current and future climate. Yet, uncertainty in model simulations can be high, resulting from poor model calibration and/or inadequate model structure. Multi-model simulations have been shown to be more robust than those with single models and help understand and reduce modelling uncertainty. In this study, we aim to perform the first multi-model comparison for long-term simulations of crop yield and SOC and their feedbacks in SSA. We evaluated the performance of 16 soil-crop models using data from four long-term maize experiments at sites in SSA with contrasting climates and soils. Each experiment had four treatments: i) no exogenous inputs, ii) addition of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer, iii) use of organic amendments, and iv) combined use of mineral and organic inputs. We assessed model performance in two steps: through blind calibration involving a minimum level of experimental data provided to the modeling teams, and subsequently through full calibration, which included a more extensive set of observational data. Model ensemble accuracy was greater with full calibration than blind calibration. Improvement in model accuracy was larger for maize yields (nRMSE 48 vs 18%) than for topsoil SOC (nRMSE 22 vs 14%). Model ensemble uncertainty (defined as the coefficient of variation across the 16 models) increased over the duration of the long-term experiments. Uncertainty of SOC simulations increased when organic amendments were used, whilst uncertainty of yield predictions was largest when no inputs were applied. Our study revealed large discrepancies among the models in simulating i) crop-to-soil feedbacks due to uncertainties in simulated carbon coming from roots, and ii) soil-to-crop feedbacks due to large uncertainties in simulated crop N supply from soil organic matter decomposition. These discrepancies were largest when organic amendments were applied. The results highlight the need for long-term experiments in which root and soil N dynamics are monitored. This will provide the corresponding data to improve and calibrate soil-crop models, which will lead to more robust and reliable simulations of SOC and crop productivity, and their interactions.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace139578
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1395782025-12-08T09:54:28Z Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa Couedel, A. Falconnier, G.N. Adam, M. Cardinael, R. Boote, K. Justes, E. Smith, W.N. Whitbread, Anthony M. Affholder, F. Balkovic, J. Basso, B. Bhatia, A. Chakrabarti, B. Chikowo, R. Christina, M. Faye, B. Ferchaud, F. Folberth, C. Akinseye, F.M. Gaiser, T. Galdos, M.V. Gayler, S. Gorooei, A. Grant, B. Guibert, H. Hoogenboom, G. Kamali, B. Laub, M. Maureira, F. Mequanint, F. Nendel, C. Forter, C.H. Ripoche, D. Ruane, A.C. Rusinamhodzi, Leonard Sharma, S. Singh, U. Six, J. Srivastava, A. Vanlauwe, Bernard Versini, A. Vianna, M. Webber, H. Weber, T.K.D. Zhang, C. Corbeels, Marc soil crops simulation models soil organic matter modelling field experiments sub-saharan africa Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is partly due to low staple crop yields, resulting from poor soil fertility and low nutrient inputs. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which includes the combined use of mineral and organic fertilizers, can contribute to increasing yields and sustaining soil organic carbon (SOC) in the long term. Soil-crop simulation models can help assess the performance and trade-offs of a range of crop management practices including ISFM, under current and future climate. Yet, uncertainty in model simulations can be high, resulting from poor model calibration and/or inadequate model structure. Multi-model simulations have been shown to be more robust than those with single models and help understand and reduce modelling uncertainty. In this study, we aim to perform the first multi-model comparison for long-term simulations of crop yield and SOC and their feedbacks in SSA. We evaluated the performance of 16 soil-crop models using data from four long-term maize experiments at sites in SSA with contrasting climates and soils. Each experiment had four treatments: i) no exogenous inputs, ii) addition of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer, iii) use of organic amendments, and iv) combined use of mineral and organic inputs. We assessed model performance in two steps: through blind calibration involving a minimum level of experimental data provided to the modeling teams, and subsequently through full calibration, which included a more extensive set of observational data. Model ensemble accuracy was greater with full calibration than blind calibration. Improvement in model accuracy was larger for maize yields (nRMSE 48 vs 18%) than for topsoil SOC (nRMSE 22 vs 14%). Model ensemble uncertainty (defined as the coefficient of variation across the 16 models) increased over the duration of the long-term experiments. Uncertainty of SOC simulations increased when organic amendments were used, whilst uncertainty of yield predictions was largest when no inputs were applied. Our study revealed large discrepancies among the models in simulating i) crop-to-soil feedbacks due to uncertainties in simulated carbon coming from roots, and ii) soil-to-crop feedbacks due to large uncertainties in simulated crop N supply from soil organic matter decomposition. These discrepancies were largest when organic amendments were applied. The results highlight the need for long-term experiments in which root and soil N dynamics are monitored. This will provide the corresponding data to improve and calibrate soil-crop models, which will lead to more robust and reliable simulations of SOC and crop productivity, and their interactions. 2024-04 2024-02-22T11:21:13Z 2024-02-22T11:21:13Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139578 en Limited Access Elsevier Couëdel, A., Falconnier, G.N., Adam, M., Cardinael, R., Boote, K., Justes, E., ... & Corbeels, M. (2024). Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa. European Journal of Agronomy, 155: 127109, 1-16.
spellingShingle soil
crops
simulation models
soil organic matter
modelling
field experiments
sub-saharan africa
Couedel, A.
Falconnier, G.N.
Adam, M.
Cardinael, R.
Boote, K.
Justes, E.
Smith, W.N.
Whitbread, Anthony M.
Affholder, F.
Balkovic, J.
Basso, B.
Bhatia, A.
Chakrabarti, B.
Chikowo, R.
Christina, M.
Faye, B.
Ferchaud, F.
Folberth, C.
Akinseye, F.M.
Gaiser, T.
Galdos, M.V.
Gayler, S.
Gorooei, A.
Grant, B.
Guibert, H.
Hoogenboom, G.
Kamali, B.
Laub, M.
Maureira, F.
Mequanint, F.
Nendel, C.
Forter, C.H.
Ripoche, D.
Ruane, A.C.
Rusinamhodzi, Leonard
Sharma, S.
Singh, U.
Six, J.
Srivastava, A.
Vanlauwe, Bernard
Versini, A.
Vianna, M.
Webber, H.
Weber, T.K.D.
Zhang, C.
Corbeels, Marc
Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title_full Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title_fullStr Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title_full_unstemmed Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title_short Long-term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil-crop models in sub-Saharan Africa
title_sort long term soil organic carbon and crop yield feedbacks differ between 16 soil crop models in sub saharan africa
topic soil
crops
simulation models
soil organic matter
modelling
field experiments
sub-saharan africa
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139578
work_keys_str_mv AT couedela longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT falconniergn longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT adamm longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT cardinaelr longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT bootek longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT justese longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT smithwn longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT whitbreadanthonym longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT affholderf longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT balkovicj longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT bassob longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT bhatiaa longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT chakrabartib longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT chikowor longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT christinam longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT fayeb longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT ferchaudf longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT folberthc longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT akinseyefm longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT gaisert longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT galdosmv longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT gaylers longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT gorooeia longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT grantb longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT guiberth longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT hoogenboomg longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT kamalib longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT laubm longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT maureiraf longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT mequanintf longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT nendelc longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT forterch longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT ripoched longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT ruaneac longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT rusinamhodzileonard longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT sharmas longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT singhu longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT sixj longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT srivastavaa longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT vanlauwebernard longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT versinia longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT viannam longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT webberh longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT webertkd longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT zhangc longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica
AT corbeelsmarc longtermsoilorganiccarbonandcropyieldfeedbacksdifferbetween16soilcropmodelsinsubsaharanafrica