Crop growth models are increasingly important for evaluation of agricultural management practices. The SUBSTOR model (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer-DSSAT ver.4.0) was used for dynamic simulation of growth and yield of potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) crop under different environments. Two potato varieties namely, Kufri Chandramukhi and Kufri Jyoti were grown during autumn and spring seasons using three different sowing dates and three irrigation regimes in a subtropical semi-arid climate at Ludhiana, Punjab, India. The minimum data set required for running the model including weather, soil and crop data were obtained during both crop seasons. The model was calibrated by adjusting genetic coefficients for each variety. Simulated biomass, tuber yield and leaf area index (LAI) were found to be in close agreement with observed data, but the model underestimated the soil water contents in the profile. Thus further scrutiny or modifications are suggested to be made in the soil water balance subroutine of the model.

Keywords: Crop modeling. DSSAT Ver 4.0; Dynamic Simulation; Potato; SUBSTOR;