Estimating crop yield potential at regional to national scales

► A protocol is proposed for estimating crop yield potential at national scales. ► Robust estimates of rainfed yield potential required >15 years of weather data. ► Yield potential of crops in diverse systems was highly sensitive to sowing date. ► Diverse cropping systems required >40% coverage of crop area for stable estimates. ► Crop yield plateaus were observed at 75-85% of estimated national yield potential.