Summary
In this project, the capacity of the GRAZPLAN pasture growth model to predict lucerne growth and development was improved by analysis of a range of information from the scientific literature. The descriptions of key processes (the developmental cycle, and in particular differences in winter activity; stomatal closure in warm, wet conditions; rooting front development; and nutritive value) were updated. The revised lucerne model was tested against 7 experimental data sets from across Australia that were chosen for their data quality. The testing revealed a number of limitations of the new lucerne model, but overall it is a considerable improvement over the previous version and it will be released for wider use in both research and decision support.
