Simulation of the phenological development of wheat and maize at the global scale

The methodology presented here provides a good basis for modelling the phenological characteristics of cultivars at the global scale.We show that current global patterns of growing season length as described in cropping calendars can be largely reproduced by phenology models if location-specific parameters are derived from temperature and day length indicators. Growing seasons can be modelled more accurately for wheat than for maize, especially in warm regions.

Our method for computing parameters for phenology models from temperature and day length offers opportunities to improve the simulation of crop productivity by crop simulation models developed for large spatial areas and for long-termclimate impact projections that account for adaptation in the selection of varieties.