XVI International Botanical Congess

ADEL-maize is a process-based model, which simulates a crop as a set of individual plants. It combines a 3D model of maize development with physical models computing the microclimate on the 3D structure. Processes within the plants are described at the level of individual organs. Development is regulated by the temperature of the growing zones, and growth is regulated by dry matter availability. Dry matter production is based on the concept of light use efficiency and allocation is a function of the sink strength of each organ, calculated according to organ size and temperature. Validation against independent data sets demonstrates the ability of the model to simulate the effects of density on the size of organs and on the development of variability between plants.