V. S. Santhosh Mithra

Virtual Growth of Sweet Potato Crop: Computer Simulation of the Growth of Sweet Potato Crop V. S. Santhosh Mithra

Tuber crops had always helped to overcome the catastrophies of famines and provided relief from hunger. Under the present conditions of shrinking cultivable area and increasing population, tuber crops provide great opportunity for increasing production, productivity and profitability because of their high photosynthetic efficiency. The higher biological efficiency and the highest rate of dry matter production per day per unit area make tuber crops an important component in our food security systems. They are also recognized as the most efficient converters of solar energy. Sweet potato produce about 240 X 103 kcal/ha of energy as compared to 176 X 103 kcal/ha for rice and 110 X 103 kcal/ha for wheat and 200 X 103 kcal/ha for maize. Cassava is more efficient than sweet potato producing about 250 X 103 kcal/ha of energy. Crop simulation models are of great help for faster agricultural development. For simulating the growth and yield of sweet potato no models exist today.