Web-based crop model: Web InfoCrop - Wheat to simulate the growth and yield of wheat

Crop simulation is useful for characterizing and predicting the crop growth and yield due to abiotic stress and also climate change events at the national and international levels, under different agronomic management options. Crop simulation models will gain wider acceptance if they are robust, accessible and easy to use. To simulate the growth of wheat on a daily basis using inputs of weather, soil, variety and management practices, a web-based application of the crop simulation model 'Web InfoCrop - Wheat' was designed and developed at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. The Web InfoCrop - Wheat model was developed using Visual Studio Express, SQL Server, NET framework 4.0 and hosted at http://InfoCrop.iari.res.in. This web-based model has separate modules for input variables, management conditions, and result outputs. Crop model users after registration without any payment, have the right to insert, edit or update and delete data within their private domains while the system manager alone has the administrative right to add data to the public domain, this will ensure authentic data to be available in the public domain. This is done mainly to ensure the availability of factual data to the public and also to maintain the privacy of the user data. The users can run the model to simulate the wheat crop growth and yield, at a single day interval or as defined. This web-based model performed well under different irrigation and nitrogen management practices for the observed and predicted yield and biomass with significant R2 (0.958 and 0.947 respectively) and RMSE (0.054 and 1.318, respectively). Thus, the 'Web InfoCrop - Wheat' crop model provides an innovative and efficient approach to the evolving crop simulation model to be used as a decision support tool in the agricultural production system.