@article{fdi:010075967,
  title = {{U}se of {A}qua{C}rop model for estimating crop evapotranspiration and biomass production in hilly topography},
  author = {{B}oudhina, {N}. and {M}asmoudi, {M}. {M}. and {A}laya, {I}. and {J}acob, {F}r{\'e}d{\'e}ric and {B}en {M}echlia, {N}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he use of crop models in sloping areas is questionable when relief is not taken into account, as relief affects infiltration, radiation, and aerodynamic processes. {T}he objective of this work is to evaluate the performance of {FAO}-{A}qua{C}rop model in simulating crop evapotranspiration, water balance, and biomass production in hilly areas using in situ measurements. {T}he experiment was conducted in the {C}ap-{B}on region, north-eastern {T}unisia, on two wheat fields located on opposite sloping rims ({A} and {B}) and one control field ({C}) on a flat terrain: field {A} is {SE}-oriented with 5% slope and {B} is {NW}-oriented with 6% slope. {T}hree flux stations were used to monitor automatically actual evapotranspiration ({ET}) and climatic factors whereas soil moisture and biomass production were measured manually. {M}odel's outputs were compared to actual measurements using statistical indicators: slope of the regression line, root mean squared error ({RMSE}), and the coefficient of determination ({R}-2). {A}ctual {ET} varied between 1 and 2 mm during crop initial stage and 3-4 mm during mid-season stage. {T}he {ET}/{ET}o ratio during mid-season was 0.81, 0.74, and 1.03, respectively for fields {A}, {B}, and {C}, well below the commonly used value of 1.15. {C}omparison between measured and simulated {ET} shows a substantial overestimation of the model in sloping fields with 6-20% higher averages and a {RMSE} of 0.47-0.77 mm/day. {A}qua{C}rop seems to simulate reasonably well water balance, particularly in flat conditions. {RMSE} of water content in the top 100 cm soil-layer was in the range 41-67 mm/m, representing a relative error of 11-21%. {S}imulated and measured biomass values presented similar trends ({R}-2 = 0.86-0.94) with a systematic difference, indicating that {A}qua{C}rop outputs could be improved by a correction factor.},
  keywords = {{C}rop evapotranspiration ; {W}heat ; {A}qua{C}rop ; {H}illy terrain ; {T}opography effect},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}rabian {J}ournal of {G}eosciences},
  volume = {12},
  numero = {8},
  pages = {259},
  ISSN = {1866-7511},
  year = {2019},
  DOI = {10.1007/s12517-019-4434-9},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075967},
}