Support system for decision making in the management of the greenhouse environmental based on growth model for sweet pepper

Over recent years, intensive Mediterranean agriculture has been gradually changing from very low-technology greenhouses to those incorporating intermediate and, in some cases, advanced technology. The Decision Support System (DSS) can help growers, engineers and students learn about and manage the system dynamic and its influence on production. This work shows the calibration and validation of a pepper growth model based on physiological principles and on the works of several authors. The model gives good results on dry matter production estimation as well as partitioning between different plant organs. The promising results obtained in the model validation (tested with real data from the southeast of Spain) allowed us to design and implement the Graphical User Interface (GUI). This software tool, which predicts pepper crop growth using models based on climatic variables, permits the development of an optimum control system. The DSS final version is user-friendly and easily managed by growers.