Archive AGMODELS-L: file log9411, part 1/1, size 75278 bytes:

------------------------------ Cut here ------------------------------

Hello modellers, my name is Graham Russell and I am a
member of staff at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. I
have been involved in modelling projects on cereals and
grass. Now that there are so many models in use, however,
my interests have been diverted to the data (weather, soil,
crop, farming system) used to run them, especially their
validity and availability. I have for example, compiled
information about barley and wheat growing in Europe,
including phenological data, identification of suitable
soils etc. These data are particularly required if
predictions need to be made about production from
heterogeneous regions.

Dr G. Russell
University of Edinburgh
Institute of Ecology & Resource Management (Agriculture Building)
West Mains Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JG
SCOTLAND
International phone +44 31 535 4063 Fax +44 31 667 2601
UK phone 031 535 4063 Fax 031 667 2601

Simon

I am modelling various aspects of production and environmental impact of
grazing livestock systems (mainly sheep). Production includes sheep growth
(using a model based largely on the Australian feeding recommendations),
grass growth and consumption whilst environmental impact includes ammonia
volatilization and a bit on nitrate leaching.

I published a paper on canopy structure in continuously grazed pasture in
1991 in Ecological Modelling. That may be a bit too theoretical for you
purposes. In conjunction with one of my colleagues, I have also developed a
model that simulates the dynamics of canopy structure under grazing. The
aim of the model was to look at the dynamic interaction between foraging
strategy, pasture heterogeneity and the response of the pasture in terms of
tillering and litter accumulation. The paper describing the model is at
final draft stage and again, it is quite thoeretical. However, I have
recently been working on a simplified pasture model that operates on a
paddock/field scale and seperately models urine patches, dung patches, areas
rejected for grazing and 'the remainder'.

We have some old data on canopy structure in grazed swards. I have only
seen the raw data on paper - I think the disks were lost when animal rights
activists bombed our old building a few years back (a hard way to learn not
to leave backup disks next to the PC!).

Nick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Hutchings, Land Use Div, MLURI, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB9 2QJ, UK
E-mail: mi046@mluri.sari.ac.uk Tel/Fax: +44 224 318611/311556
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello
I would like to inform you of the above conference to be held in Brussels, Belg
ium May 9-12 1995.
Scope: The symposium aims to provide a forum for presentations and discussions
of recent advances of mathematical modeling and simulation in Agriculture and b
io-industries.
Abstracts (300-500 words) are to be mailed by November 15, 1994. Acceptance of
abstracts are by January 15.
for information and correspondance e-mail: labauto@labauto.ulb.ac.be

Rabi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rabi H. Mohtar internet:rhm8@psuvm.psu.edu
The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-2971
208 Agricultural Engineering Building fax: (814) 863-1031
University Park, PA 16802 "change begins with me"

>Subject: Modeling and Simulation in Agriculure & Bio-Industries
>
>Hello
>I would like to inform you of the above conference to be held in Brussels, Belg
>ium May 9-12 1995.
>Scope: The symposium aims to provide a forum for presentations and discussions
>of recent advances of mathematical modeling and simulation in Agriculture and b
>io-industries.
>Abstracts (300-500 words) are to be mailed by November 15, 1994. Acceptance of
> abstracts are by January 15.
>for information and correspondance e-mail: labauto@labauto.ulb.ac.be
>
>Rabi
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Rabi H. Mohtar internet:rhm8@psuvm.psu.edu
>The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-2971
>208 Agricultural Engineering Building fax: (814) 863-1031
>University Park, PA 16802 "change begins with me"
>
>
Please send me more information on this conference.

Jonathan Haskett
jhaskett@asrr.arsusda.gov

Given below are details of a faculty position in Ecology, Forestry and
Watershed Management. Please distribute this among suitable candidates,
if any.

FACULTY POSITION IN ECOLOGY, FORESTRY AND WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), founded in 1959, is an
autonomous international, post-graduate technological institute in
Bangkok, Thailand. The Institute offers degree and diploma programs in
engineering and related sciences in its four Schools.

The Institute is seeking a faculty member for a position in the Natural
Resources (NR) Program. The appointee will be a member of the faculty in
the School of Environment Resources and Development. The faculty will be
improving and teaching the NR core courses, courses in ecology with
emphasis in forestry, agroforest and watershed management and in helping
to build the new integrated program. Besides developing and teaching
courses in tropical forestry, the appointee will also be expected to
generate supportive research and guiding the students in their
multidisciplinary team planning projects, thesis and research studies.

Requirements include a doctorate in ecology, forestry, agroforestry or
watershed with at least two years experience in teaching and curriculum
design, plus five years practical experience (non-academic) in
ecologically sound silviculture, forest restoration or multiple-use
resource management. Training in tropical forestry and working
experience in the Asi-Pacific region is especially desirable.
Experience/interest in social implications of forest development and in
agroforestry will be an asset.

Appointement will be in the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor,
depending upon qualifications and professional experience. Initial
appointment will be for two years with a possibility of renewal. Salary
is determined commensurate with qualifications. Any income tax on salary
drawn from the Institute is paid by the Institute to the Royal Thai
Government.

Applications with a resume, names of three referees and the approximate
date on which the applicant would be available should be sent to: The
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Asian Institute of Technology, GPO
Box 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand.

The closing date is 1 December 1994.

FACULTY POSITION IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
SCHOOL OF RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (AIT)
G.P.O. BOX 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand

Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons for a
faculty position (Associate Professor/Assistant Professor) in the
field of Agricultural Systems in the Agricultural and Food
Engineering Program.

The suitable candidate will be appointed initially for a period of
two years with strong possibility of extension. Prospective
candidates should have a Ph.D degree from a well recognized
institution in agricultural science with a strong research
background and interest. Post graduate teaching and field
experience in tropical agriculture is expected. Recent Ph.D.
graduates with good research potential are also encouraged to
apply.

Duties will encompass teaching courses in theory and practice of
system approaches to agriculture, farming systems research and
development, crop production systems and farm management economics.
In addition, duties will also include supervising student thesis
work, sponsored and individual research, consultancy, participation
in short courses and seminars, etc.

The successful applicant will receive highly competitive salary in
the region, with generous benefits including housing and children
educational allowances, contribution to provident fund and air
fares to and from Thailand at the beginning and at the end of the
employment period.

Application should include full personal particulars, details of
qualifications and experience, publications, the names and address
of three referees, to be submitted to: The Dean, School of
Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of
Technology, G.P.O. Box 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand, and to reach
there not later than 1 February, 1995.

The Asian Institute of Technology is an autonomous international
post-graduate institute financially supported by more than 50
governments, international agencies and business organizations.
AIT provides advanced education in engineering and allied fields
through academic programs, leading to the award of Doctoral and
Master's degrees. An international community of teaching faculty
and research staff, fosters the exchange and dissemination of
advanced technological knowledge and expertise at the Institute.

Greetings Agmodels-l Discussion Group,

I am a graduate student in Geography at Northern Illinois University.
My interests center around hillslope hydrology, particularly subsurface
flowpaths. I work with Arc/Info software primarily, though I also
program in FORTRAN.

Recently our department invited a speaker in who discussed some of the
facets concerning "site-specific" agriculture. I found this talk to be very
thought provoking and was wondering if anyone on the discussion group would
care to share their knowledge about this. This approach seems to be
very data intensive, does it have a chance to be implemented on a family
farm? What sort of models have been developed already at the farm field
scale? What is going on with this? Could someone provide a
citation or two on the literature concerning this subject?

Mark Stelford
Department of Geography
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115

stelford@geog.niu.edu

> From root@crcnis1.unl.edu Mon Nov 14 10:26 CST 1994
> Date: Mon, 14 Nov 1994 10:23:23 -0600
> Originator: agmodels-l@unl.edu
> Version: 5.5 -- Copyright (c) 1991/92, Anastasios Kotsikonas
> From: stelford@geog.niu.edu (Mark W. Stelford)
> To: Multiple recipients of list <agmodels-l@unl.edu>
> Subject: Agmodels Member Introduction
>
> Greetings Agmodels-l Discussion Group,
>
> I am a graduate student in Geography at Northern Illinois University.
> My interests center around hillslope hydrology, particularly subsurface
> flowpaths. I work with Arc/Info software primarily, though I also
> program in FORTRAN.
>
>
> Recently our department invited a speaker in who discussed some of the
> facets concerning "site-specific" agriculture. I found this talk to be very
> thought provoking and was wondering if anyone on the discussion group would
> care to share their knowledge about this. This approach seems to be
> very data intensive, does it have a chance to be implemented on a family
> farm? What sort of models have been developed already at the farm field
> scale? What is going on with this? Could someone provide a
> citation or two on the literature concerning this subject?

I did my PhD work in this area regarding the development of a combine
harvester on-board grain flow sensor as part of a yield-mapping
system. We could not complete the yield-mapping system at that time
because the GIS navigation receivers were not yet available
commercially. Since then, however, the Agricultural Engineering Dept.
at Kansas State University has completed a working yield-mapping system
and obtained multiple years of field data for several crops.

Dr. Mark Shrock, professor in the Ag. Eng. Dept. at Kansas State
University would be a good contact not only about this project, but
also for leads on other site specific literature. The Department's
phone number is: (913) 532-5580

Larry E. Wagner | wagner@weru.ksu.edu
USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Research Unit | wagner@ksu.ksu.edu
Throckmorton Hall, KSU | phone: (913) 532-6807
Manhattan, KS 66506 | fax: (913) 532-6528

Hello to all Agmodellers-

I work at TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation) in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. I have been involved in weapons and other dynamic system simulations , modelling and analysis. I also do real-time systems design and programming (C and Ada) for data acquisition from various sensors and controls for various actuators. Currently I'm working on a low-cost airborne remote sensing system development project (primarily for agriculture and environment community) that uses technologies (such as GPS, INS, IMAGING and MISSION PLANNING) developed and matured under DoD programs.
As a student assistant at Purdue University, I worked at the USDA-NSEL (Soil Labs--Hello Jeff Porter!) and was interested in aspects of agriculture in the areas of modelling and analysis etc. I'd like to know if there are any socities that I can join to keep informed and get more heavily involved in these areas.
I'm also interested in knowing what is going on in the area of "prescription farming"--apparantly because of stricter EPA rules and regulations on pesticide and herbicide application.
I'd like to hear from folks at universities and USDA agencies involved in remote-sensing, prescription-farming modelling and simulation.

Dinesh Neelay -----------------------------
TASC
1992 Lewis Turner Blvd.
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547

(904) 863-8000

dneelay@tasc.com -------------------------------

In reply to Mark Stelford's request, let me recommend a new list server on
site-specific management as well as some recent publications.

> Recently our department invited a speaker in who discussed some of the
> facets concerning "site-specific" agriculture. I found this talk to
> be very thought provoking and was wondering if anyone on the
> discussion group would care to share their knowledge about this.
> This approach seems to be very data intensive, does it have a chance
> to be implemented on a family farm? What sort of models have been
> developed already at the farm field scale? What is going on with
> this? Could someone provide a citation or two on the literature
> concerning this subject?
>

There is a lot going on in site-specific crop management (SSCM) right now.
I am an asst. prof. of agricultural economics at Michigan State University
working on potential profitability of this technology with soil scientists
here. We are connected with a broader USDA regional research group called
"NCR-180: Site-Specific Management." The group president, Dr. Pierre
Robert, a soil scientist at University of Minnesota, has set up a list
server on the topic. If you wish to subscribe, send a message with the text
body: SUBSCRIBE PRECISE-AGRI to the e-mail address LISTPROC@SOILS.UMN.EDU.
So far, the list server has had very light traffic, but it is connected to
many of the most active researchers in this area.

The University of Minnesota has had national conferences on SSCM in 1992 and
1994, both hosted by Dr. Robert. Proceedings from the first conference are
available and are listed among other references below. Dr. Francis Pierce
in the Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State hosted a
state-level workshop in March 1994.

REFERENCES
Carr, P. M., G. R. Carlson, J. S. Jacobsen, G. A. Nielsen, and E. O. Skogley.
"Farming by Soils, Not Fields: A Strategy for Increasing Fertilizer
Profitability." Journal of Production Agriculture. 4(January-March 1991): 57-
61.

P. C. Robert, R. H. Rust, and W. E. Larson, eds., Proceedings of Soil Specific
Crop Management: A Workshop on Research and Development Issues. Workshop April
14-16, 1992, Sheraton Airport Inn, Minneapolis, MN. Madison, WI: American
Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of
America, 1993.

Larson, W. E. and P. C. Robert. "Farming by Soil." In R. Lal and F. J. Pierce,
eds., Soil Management for Sustainability. Ankeny, IA: Soil and Water
Conservation Society, 1991. Pages 103-112. Published in cooperation with the
World Association of Soil and Water Conservation and the Soil Science Society
of America.

Wibawa, Winny D., Duduzile L. Dludlu, Larry J. Swenson, David G. Hopkins, and
William C. Dahnke. "Variable Fertilizer Application Based on Yield Goal, Soil
Fertility, and Soil Map Unit." Journal of Production Agriculture. 6(April-June
1993): 255-261.

***********************************************************************
Scott Swinton E-mail: 00549sms@msu.edu
Dept. of Agricultural Economics Phone: 517-353-7218
Michigan State University Fax: 517-432-1800
E. Lansing, MI 48824-1039
***********************************************************************

There is work going on in Europe as well about mapping
fields using GPS to locate the observations. The
technology exists to vary inputs across fields in response
to a map of field variability. There are problems however
(aren't there always). How heritable from year to year
are the patches observed in fields? What are the
circumstances under which inputs are reduced because yields
were low in that spot last year and what are the ones where
they should be increased for exactly the same reason? It
all depends on what the limiting factors are.

Graham Russell

Dr G. Russell
University of Edinburgh
Institute of Ecology & Resource Management (Agriculture Building)
West Mains Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JG
SCOTLAND
International phone +44 31 535 4063 Fax +44 31 667 2601
UK phone 031 535 4063 Fax 031 667 2601

Given below are details of a faculty position in Ecology, Forestry and
Watershed Management. Please distribute this among suitable candidates,
if any.

FACULTY POSITION IN ECOLOGY, FORESTRY AND WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), founded in 1959, is an
autonomous international, post-graduate technological institute in
Bangkok, Thailand. The Institute offers degree and diploma programs in
engineering and related sciences in its four Schools.

The Institute is seeking a faculty member for a position in the Natural
Resources (NR) Program. The appointee will be a member of the faculty in
the School of Environment Resources and Development. The faculty will be
improving and teaching the NR core courses, courses in ecology with
emphasis in forestry, agroforest and watershed management and in helping
to build the new integrated program. Besides developing and teaching
courses in tropical forestry, the appointee will also be expected to
generate supportive research and guiding the students in their
multidisciplinary team planning projects, thesis and research studies.

Requirements include a doctorate in ecology, forestry, agroforestry or
watershed with at least two years experience in teaching and curriculum
design, plus five years practical experience (non-academic) in
ecologically sound silviculture, forest restoration or multiple-use
resource management. Training in tropical forestry and working
experience in the Asi-Pacific region is especially desirable.
Experience/interest in social implications of forest development and in
agroforestry will be an asset.

Appointement will be in the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor,
depending upon qualifications and professional experience. Initial
appointment will be for two years with a possibility of renewal. Salary
is determined commensurate with qualifications. Any income tax on salary
drawn from the Institute is paid by the Institute to the Royal Thai
Government.

Applications with a resume, names of three referees and the approximate
date on which the applicant would be available should be sent to: The
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Asian Institute of Technology, GPO
Box 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand.

The closing date is 1 December 1994.

Sorry, I'll reply to dneelay@tasc.com separately. Bob Peart.

Are any of the readers of this list familiar with land classification
schemes based on fuzzy set theory? I'm getting involved with a project
to use fuzzy logic for classification of environmental impacts, and the
use of fuzzy classification in soil science seems to be a closely
related and possibly relevant field. I would welcome further
information and references.

Thanks, Bill Silvert
--
Bill Silvert at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
P. O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CANADA B2Y 4A2
Preferred InterNet Address: silvert@biome.bio.ns.ca
HED runs a WWW server at URL=http://biome.bio.dfo.ca

Graham Russell writes:

> There is work going on in Europe as well about mapping
> fields using GPS to locate the observations. The
> technology exists to vary inputs across fields in response
> to a map of field variability. There are problems however
> (aren't there always). How heritable from year to year
> are the patches observed in fields? What are the
> circumstances under which inputs are reduced because yields
> were low in that spot last year and what are the ones where
> they should be increased for exactly the same reason? It
> all depends on what the limiting factors are.

Bob Evans has done some work on soil patterning and its effect on
crop growth, including:

Evans, R. (1990). Crop patterns recorded on aerial photographs of
England and Wales: their type, extent and agricultural implications.
Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 115, 369-382.

Evans, R. and Catt, J.A. (1987). Causes of crop patterns in eastern
England. Journal of Soil Science 38, 309-324.

Regards

David Favis-Mortlock

Address: Environmental Change Unit
University of Oxford
1a Mansfield Road
Oxford OX1 3TB
UK
e-mail : david.favismortlock@environmental-change.oxford.ac.uk
fax : (+44) (0)865 281181
phone : (+44) (0)865 281180

The professional society for engineering in agricultural, food, and
biological systems is ASAE. They will be having their 1994 International
Winter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia December 13-16, 1994 at the Altant
Hilton & Towers. There will be several technical sessions related
to simulation, GIS, GPS, etc. For a program, registration materials
and membership information write or call ASAE, 2950 Niles Road,
St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659 USA: 616-429-0300

************************************************************************
* Chris Butts * cbutts@asrr.arsusda.gov
*
* USDA, ARS *****************************
* National Peanut Research Laboratory * Phone: 912-995-7431 *
* 1011 Forrester Dr., SE *****************************
* Dawson, Georgia 31742 * FAX: 912-995-7416 *
************************************************************************

On Tue, 15 Nov 1994, Bill Silvert wrote:

> Are any of the readers of this list familiar with land classification
> schemes based on fuzzy set theory? I'm getting involved with a project
> to use fuzzy logic for classification of environmental impacts, and the
> use of fuzzy classification in soil science seems to be a closely
> related and possibly relevant field. I would welcome further
> information and references.
>
> Thanks, Bill Silvert
> --
> Bill Silvert at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
> P. O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CANADA B2Y 4A2
> Preferred InterNet Address: silvert@biome.bio.ns.ca
> HED runs a WWW server at URL=http://biome.bio.dfo.ca
>
>

Below is my current reference list file. Hope this helps. I'd be
interested in hearing more about your work. My e-mail address is
below.

Best regards,

Rob Flick

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Robert J. Flick |
| Department of Agricultural Economics |
| University of British Columbia |
| |
| e-mail: flick@unixg.ubc.ca |
| telephone: 604-327-9854 |
| home office: 6454 Argyle St. |
| Vancouver, B.C. |
| V5P-3K3 |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Subject: Papers on Fuzzy Logic for Environmental Management

Below is a list of references that use fuzzy logic for environmental
management problems. For a general introduction to fuzzy logic,
see:

Klir, George and Folger, Tina (1988). Fuzzy Sets, Uncertainty, and
Information. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Zimmermann, H.-J. (1991). Fuzzy Set Theory and its Applications, 2nd.ed..
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston/Dordect/London.

Reference list:

Bare, B. and Mendoza, G. (1988). "A soft optimization approach to
forest land management planning." Can.J.For.Res., Vol.18,
p.545-552.

Bare, B. and Mendoza, G. (1990). "Fuzzy programming approaches in
handling uncertainty and imprecision in timber harvest
scheduling." A paper presented at the Management Science/
Operations Research Working Group Session at the SAF
National Convention, Washington, D.C..

Bare, B. and Mendoza, G. (1992). "Timber harvest scheduling in a fuzzy
decision environment." Can.J.For.Res., Vol.22, p.423-428.

Bezdek, J. Trivedi, M., Ehrilich, R. and Full, W. (1981). "Fuzzy
clustering: a new approach for geostatistical analysis." Int.
J. of Systems, Measurement, and Decisions, 2, p.13-23.

Bosserman, R. and Ragade, R. (1982). "Ecosystem analysis using fuzzy set
theory." Ecological Modelling, 16, p.191-208.

Burrough, P.A. (1989). "Fuzzy mathematical methods for soil survey and
land evaluation." J. of Soil Sci., 40, p.477-492.

Chameau. J. and Santamarina, J. (1989). "Knowledge-based system for soil
improvement." J. of Computing in Civil Engineering, Vol.3, No.3,
July, p.253-265.

Chang, L and Burrough, P. (1987). "Fuzzy reasoning: a new quantitative
aid for land evaluation." Soil Survey and Land Evaluation, 7,
p.69-80.

Flick, R. and van Kooten, G. (1993). "Modelling management of agricultural
ecosystems using fuzzy set theory: methodological issues." Paper
presented at the joint meetings of the Western Agricultural Economics
Association and the Canadian Agricultural Economics and Farm Management
Society, 1993, Edmonton, Alberta.

Kollias, V.J., and Voliotis, A. (1991). "Fuzzy reasoning in the
development of geographical information systems. FRSIS: a
prototype soil information system with fuzzy retrieval
capabilities." Int. J. Geographical Information Systems
5, p.209-223.

McBratney, A.B. and Moore, A.W. (1985). "Application of fuzzy sets to
climatic classification." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology,
35, p.165-185.

McBratney, A.B., De Gruijter, J.J., Brus, D.J. (1992). "Spacial
prediction and mapping of continuous soil classes." Geoderma,
54, p.39-64.

Mendoza, G. and Sprouse, W. (1989). "Forest planning and decision-making
under fuzzy environments: an overview and illustrations." Forest
Science, Vol. 35, No.2, p.481-502.

Odeh, I., McBratney, A. and Chittleborough, D. (1990). "Design of
optimal sample spacings for mapping soil using fuzzy-k-means
and regionalized variable theory." Geoderma, 47, p.93-122.

Odeh, I., McBratney, A. and Chittleborough, D. (1992). "Fuzzy-c-means
and kriging for mapping soil as a continous system." Soil Sci.
Soc. Am. J., Vol.56, Nov-Dec., p.1848-1854.

Pickens, J., Hof, J. and Bartlett, E. (1987). "Fuzzy goals, MAXIMIN
programming, and natural resource management." The 1985
Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resources, Athens,
Georgia.

Pickens, J. and Hof, J. (1991). "Fuzzy goal programming in foresty:
an application with special solution problems." Fuzzy Sets and
Systems, 39, p.239-246.

Powell, B., McBratney, A., and MacLeod, D. (1991). "The application
of ordination and fuzzy classification techniques to field
pedology and soil stratigraphy in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland."
Catena, 18, p.409-420.

Powell, B., McBratney, A., and MacLeod, D. (1992). "Fuzzy classification
of soil profiles and horizons from the Lockyer Valley, Queensland,
Australia." Geoderma, 52, p.173-197.

Roberts, D. (1989). "Analysis of forest succession with fuzzy graph
theory." Ecological Modelling, 45, p.261-274.

Roush, W. (1989). "Fuzzy decision analysis." Egg Industry, May.

Roush, W., Bock, R., and Marszalek, M. (1989). "Evaluation of crowding
of caged laying hens using fuzzy decision analysis." Appl. Anim.
Behav.Sci..

Schmoldt, D.L. (1989). "An influence model for qualitative simulation of
ecological systems." Artificial Intelligence and Growth Models for
Forest Management Decisions, p.339-344.

Schmoldt, D.L. (1990). "A simulation of plant physiological processes
using fuzzy variables." Proceedings of the 1990 National Conference
on Artificial Intelligence.

Sher, Arnold and Amir, Ilan (1994). "Optimization with fuzzy constraints
in agricultural production planning." Agricultural Systems, 45,
p.421-441.

Tang, H.J., Debaveye, J., Ruan, D., and Van Ranst, E. (1991). "Land
suitability classification based on fuzzy set theory." Pedologie,
XLI-3, p.277-290.

Tang, H.J. and Van Ranst, E. (1992). "Testing of fuzzy set theory in
land suitability assessment for rainfed grain maize production."
Pedologie, XLII-2, p.129-147.

Wenger, R. and Yue Rong (1987). "Two fuzzy set models for comprehensive
environmental decision-making." J. of Env. Mgt., 25, p.167-180.

Yee, L. (1987). "On the imprecision of boundaries." Geographical Analysis,
19, p.125-151.

I am wondering whether information about corn weight at early growth stage
is available.

I believe dry weight cumulation of corn at very early growth stage does not
depend on photosynthesis. (If I am wrong, please correct me.) If it's true,
how long does this period last and how much weight will accumulate before
being inffluenced by photosynthesis? If you have any information or comment,
please email to me. Thanks in advance!

Ching-pin
**************************************************************************
* Ching-pin Tung *
* Graduate Student Phone: +1-607-257-1241 *
* Civil & Environmental Engineering Fax : +1-607-257-1241 *
* Cornell University Email: ct16@cornell.edu *
* Ithaca, NY 14850 *
* USA *
**************************************************************************

recipients group_name
Duncan Hawksbee Telephone :- (+44)191 222 7833
Department of Surveying Facsimilie :- (+44)191 222 8691
Bedson Building E-Mail :- D.J.Hawksbee@newcastle.ac.uk
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
United Kingdom

unsubscribe agmodels-lDaniel D. Arroyo Gonzalez # Banco de Datos y Documentacion
email: darroyo@desco.org.pe # DESCO
fono : 62-7193 (44) # Leon de la Fuente 110, Lima 17

The USDA-ARS Crop Simulation Research Unit has been involved with site-specific agriculture
on commercial cotton farms since 1984. The tool being used is the GOSSYM/COMAX crop
management decision support system. GOSSYM is a process-level cotton crop simulation model
and COMAX is a rulebased expert system. Together, they help growers make decisions on the
timing and amount of irrigation, fertilization, crop growth regulators, and harvest aid chemicals.
Today approximately 300 growers are using GOSSYM/COMAX on over 500,000 acres of
commercial cotton across the U.S. cottonbelt. The system is being used by growers, consultants,
and extension personnel. The model is fairly data intensive with the initial setup for a
management unit. A complete description of the soil physical properties of each soil type in the
management unit is required down to two meters in depth, such as the soil water retention curve,
sand and clay content, and bulk density all by horizon. After the initial setup, data required to run
the model within a growing season are preplant nitrate and ammonia concentration in the soil,
weather data, and cultural practices. Weather data includes daily total solar radiation, maximum
and minimum air temperature, daily wind run, and daily total rainfall or irrigation amount.
Cultural practice information includes plant population, planting date, variety, row spacing
pattern, and anticipated harvest date. Weather data must be collected with 5 KM of the
management unit and is usually handled by an automated weather station connected to the
growers PC via modem. GOSSYM/COMAX help make decisions dynamically within the
growing season in response to specific varieties response to fertility rates, local weather
conditions, cultural practices, and individual soil types. With the addition of the WHIMS insect
management expert system in 1995, the system will also respond to pest and pest management
practices which are now assumed to be at non-damaging levels by GOSSYM/COMAX.

McKinion, J. M. and Lemmon, H. E. Expert systems for
Agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 1:31-40, 1985.

Whisler, F. D., Acock, B., Baker, D. N., Fye, R. E., Hodges,
H. F.,Lambert, J. R., Lemmon, H. E., McKinion, J. M., and Reddy, V. R.
Crop simulation models in agronomic systems. Advances in Agronomy.
40:141-208. 1986.

McKinion, J. M., Baker, D. N., Whisler, F. D., and Lambert,
J. R. Application of the GOSSYM/COMAX System to Cotton Crop Management.
Agricultural Systems. 31:55-65. 1989.

McKinion, J. M., Reddy, K. R., and Hodges, H. F. Alleviation
of Global Climate Change Impact via Simulation-based Decision Support
Systems in Agriculture. World Resources Review, Vol. 4, No. 4, 406-418,
1993.

McKinion, J. M. Interfacing issues for GOSSYM/COMAX/WHIMS.
1992 Winter Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
Nashville, TN, December 15-18, 1992. ASAE Paper #923555. 1992.

********************************************************
* Dr. James M. McKinion Phone (601) 324-4375 *
* P. O. Box 5367 *
* Crop Simulation Research Unit FAX (601) 324-4371 *
* Mississippi State, MS 39762 *
* USA E-mail mckinion@csrumsu.ars.ag.gov *
********************************************************

set agmodels-l nomail

Dear list members,

I am searcher at the Catholic University of Louvain, in the Agronomy=
Faculty.
I study the 'Evaluation of the effect of set aside in the cropping=
system'
Myworks concerns mainly the nitrogen.

I am looking for computer programs about :

1 - The growth of set-aside
or growth of plants (mainly nitrogen influence)

2 - The flow and the mineralization of nitrogen in soil.

Could you give me the characteristic programs or the address of another
list about this problem or references.

Tank you very much.

Yours sincerely.

CLOTUCHE Paul
=46acult=E9 des Sciences Agronomiques
D=E9partement de Biologie Appliqu=E9e et des Productions Agricoles
Unit=E9 d'Ecologie des Prairies
Place Croix du Sud, 2 Bte 5
B - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve

E-mail : clotuche@ecop.ucl.ac.be

I know a PhD student who works on set-aside, mainly the nitrogen
cycle in soil after a set-aside.
Her name is Anne DALBIES, she worksat thz National Institute
of Agronomic research in France (INRA).
She doesn't use a computer program, but I thinks you can
discus about hypothesis or simplification you could do
on this program.
This is her adress:
Anne DALBIES
laboratoire d'Agronomie
16 rue Claude Bernard
75231 PARIS cedex 05
tel:16 1 44. 08. 16.97

sincerely,
florence TABOUREl.

____________________________________________________________________
+ + +
+ TABOUREL Florence + +
+ STATION D'ECOPHYSIOLOGIE + email: tabourel@lusignan.inra.fr +
+ DES PLANTES FOURRAGERES + tel: 49.55.60.96 +
+ 86600 LUSIGNAN + standard: 49.55.60.97 +
+ + fax: 49.55.60.68 +
+___________________________________________________________________

dear Paul I am a research of Palermo University and we have the same interests
in set-aside effects on nitrogen mineralization I am also interested on wheat g
row after set-aside period. have you got some references? Let me know about the
computer programm

Luciano Gristina
Istituto di Agronomia
viale delle Scienze
90128 Palermo Italy

Dear Dr. McKinion:

I will appreciate receiving reprints of the following papers:

>McKinion, J. M. and Lemmon, H. E. Expert systems for
> Agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 1:31-40, 1985.

>McKinion, J. M., Reddy, K. R., and Hodges, H. F. Alleviation
> of Global Climate Change Impact via Simulation-based Decision Support
> Systems in Agriculture. World Resources Review, Vol. 4, No. 4, 406-418,
> 1993.
Thank you very much for your attention tpo this request.

Dr. Andres C. Ravelo
FEWS/USAID Project
1611 N Kent St. # 511
Arlington VA 22209
e mail p00038@mail.psi.net

SCDRYS (Sociedad Civil Para el Desarrollo Rural Replicable y Sostenible),=20
Guatemala

1. What is SCDRYS?
It is an Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) formed by Mayan men and women=
who=20
struggle for their survival in the Mountains of Quich=E9 (Chinique,=
Zacualpa,=20
Joyabaj, Canill=E1,=20
San Andr=E9s Sajcabaj=E1). SCDRYS, are rural communities affected by the=
war of=20
1980-1985 and who cultivate their small land properties (1 acre) as a way of=
=20
life,=20
exploiting the forest and migrating to the coast cyclically.

2. Organization
We are integrated by a leading council and rural representatives. This was=
=20
the traditional=20
form in which Quich=E9s' towns gathered together to resolve their communal=
=20
problems. =20
This is why we are trying to revive and renew this form of organization that=
=20
promotes the=20
consent and participation of everyone.

3. Objectives
Each community has a rural leading council in which, men, women, youth,=20
adults, and=20
elders participate. The objectives of each leading council vary according=
=20
to the basic=20
necessities of each one of them. They all fundamentally pursue a common=20
goal which can=20
be summarized as follows:=20
- Encourage participation in decision making.
- Revive traditional forms of cooperation and mutual aid that our ancestors=
=20
used.
- Promote the rational use of natural resources.
- Promote a change in attitude and mentality in families who were victims of=
=20
the=20
war. "We feel that we are useful and that we can, that we are important, and=
=20
that we are=20
worthy as human beings". "Make ourselves feel that we are strong because we=
=20
have the=20
strength of hills and mountains". "We were rebels and we will continue=20
being so by=20
respecting human beings and every manifestation from heaven to the heart,=20
and from the=20
heart to the earth".

- Encourage the spirituality and culture of the Mayan village and revive the=
=20
customs and wisdom of our grandparents. Defend our culture and reject the=
=20
adoption of=20
the values of another culture. "We want to take back the past of our=20
nation, the nation=20
that by history belongs to us. We will recover those values that we are=20
ashamedly losing.=20
Together we will go back and work the land like the gods and spirits of the=
=20
mountains saw=20
it before

- Make our communities autonomous and not dependent though the study,=20
analysis, reflection and intervention of our reality. We will accomplish=20
this by doing=20
replicable growth activities (easy to copy) with other neighboring=20
communities on the=20
mountain and steadily promoting projects. (projects that after institutional=
=20
intervention=20
could be administered by the communities). We believe that community=20
participation is=20
the way to reach this objective.

4. Who integrates SCDRYS?
Farmers, men, and women leaders and representatives of the small towns in=20
the mountains.=20
"We are farmers because we are poor; we don't have land; the good land is=20
down there.=20
We cultivate corn and beans; what we harvest every year is not enough; it's=
=20
only enough=20
for three months. In February we have to go down to the coast to earn money.=
=20
We go=20
down there for a period of time and come back up to our home with corn to=20
eat. The=20
women stay home taking care of the animals and the little children". "I go=
=20
down to the=20
village to sell firewood to earn money, I buy gas, brown sugar, and=20
peppers". This is why=20
we say we are farmers. When we get sick we cure ourselves with what the=20
land produces;=20
we also take aspirin or alkaseltzers, that is why we say we are farmers".

5. How are we organized?
SCDRYS is organized by a regional council; 3 area councils and 20 municipal=
=20
councils. =20
Every area council has the assembly as the highest authority integrated by=
=20
representatives=20
from all the municipal councils. These councils serve as a base of the=20
organization that=20
materialized our objectives and work philosophy. Each council is integrated=
=20
as follows:
- Coordinating committee (by zone, local)
- Secretarial committee
- Treasury committee
- Education and training committee
- Support committee

Each committee in each of the local area councils is integrated by a working=
=20
team=20
(minimum 2, maximum 3). Each of these members lasts 2 years in their post.=
=20
They are=20
replaced alternately (one stays and one goes out) in an assembly for such=20
purpose, in=20
which each committee presents a report that contains: Accomplished=
activities,=20
conclusions and recommendations. In short, is a report that narrates the=20
history of the=20
council, (systematization).

We develop literacy activities especially with the youth of both sexes. We=
=20
develop=20
workshops to discuss our main problems and possible solutions, (example: the=
=20
land)

9. Future actions
Short term: We plan to develop a program on popular education, focusing on=
=20
the change=20
of attitude and mentality in respect to the revive of our customs and=20
traditions. We are=20
also interested in increasing the production of agricultural goods through a=
=20
specific plan.

- A training plan for the appropriate use of natural resources is a=
permanent=20
interest of the population. We will search with interest cooperative=20
institutions.

- We also want to start a new program to support the nutritional needs of=20
pregnant=20
and nursing women; in addition to a formal program of health and nutritional=
=20
education. =20
The implementation of this program in the country side will include the=20
basic needs of the=20
different communities, (portable water, drainage, etc.)

dear Paul, I red your Email of Fri 18 Nov
I am involved in your same topics: set-aside effects and nitrogen fate after fo

dear Paul I red your EMAIL of 18 Nov
I am involved in your same topics: set aside affects on agricultural systems an
d nitrogen fate (mineralization and PMN) after five year of set aside
could you inform me about results of your biblio research?
Could you give me references abaut this topics?
waitin for your answer
Luciano Gristina
Istituto di Agronomia generale e Coltivazioni Erbacee
viale delle Scienze 90128 Palermo Italy fax +91 6528222

Prof. John Porter tells me that there is a position for an
associate professor in crop ecology in his agro-ecology
group at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
at Copenhagen, Denmark. The application needs to arrive
by January 31, 1995. I have a few more details but if you
are seriously interested you should contact the Head of
the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Dr Brian Dennis
phone +45-3528 3560 fax +45-3528 2175.

Graham Russell

Dr G. Russell
University of Edinburgh
Institute of Ecology & Resource Management (Agriculture Building)
West Mains Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JG
SCOTLAND
International phone +44 31 535 4063 Fax +44 31 667 2601
UK phone 031 535 4063 Fax 031 667 2601

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT NO.: ARS-D5N-017
ISSUING DATE: October 31, 1994
CLOSING DATE: December 23, 1994

POSITION TITLE, SERIES, AND GRADE:
Soil Scientist
GS-0470-13/14/15

SALARY: $49,401 - $68,667 per year

DUTY LOCATION:
ARS, North Atlantic Area
Pasture Systems & Watershed Management
University Park, Pennsylvania

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: PERMANENT COMPETITIVE SERVICE APPOINTMENT (Full-Time)

DUTIES: Incumbent serves as project leader and research scientist.
Responsibilities as the
project leader are to: 1) quantify and prioritize watershed scale
characteristics that affect P
loss potentials; 2) develop methodologies for delineating and quantifying
critical source
areas of P loss in a watershed; 3) develop methodologies to link these critical
source areas
to P export from watersheds; and 4) develop a framework to better define and
manage the
relationship between P fertility and P loss where organics (manure) and
inorganics (fertilizer)
are major P sources. Incumbent will collaborate on projects to develop
integrated nutrient
control/management strategies for farms and watersheds, assess the management of
P and
N from animal wastes, and assess channel and watershed scale controls on P
export.
Responsibilities as the Research Scientist are to: 1) investigate the chemical
controls on P
export from the high runoff-low erosion watersheds typical of the northeastern
U.S.; 2)
initiate research on how animal wastes contribute to this P export, and explore
the
importance of soluble organic P and P leaching to groundwater; and 3) initiate
the research,
modeling, and methodology needed to better link up the P cycling in intensive
grazing
systems to the export of algal-available P.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must have a degree in Soil Science
or
a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours in biological,
physical, or earth
science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in soil genesis, pedology, soil
chemistry, soil
physics, and soil fertility and 1 year of specialized experience directly
related to the position.
This experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge,
skills, and
abilities to perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized
experience must
have been at least equivalent to the next lower grade in the Federal Government.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Qualified applicants will be considered for
appointment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status,
physical handicap,
age, national origin, or any other nonmerit factor.

FOR APPLICATION FORMS WRITE TO, VISIT, OR CALL:
USDA, ARS, PS&WMR
Curtin Road
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-0939
FAX: 814-863-0935

MAIL COMPLETED FORMS TO:
USDA, ARS, PD, POB, NS
6305 Ivy Lane, Room 325
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770

I am working with a soil hydrology model driven by simple meteorological
data. For this I need some SIMPLE (!) growth functions for various
agricultural crops based on simple environmental parameters such as
temperature (ie. GDDs) and net radiation.

Does anyone have any such formulations?

Laters
============================================================================
Bill Capehart (wjc@essc.psu.edu)
Penn State Meteorology "Hug a Tree? As if Hugging
University Park, PA 16802 people is bad enough!"
P: +1-814-865-3195 F: +1-814-865-3663
====================== /* John Galt, Call Your Office */ ====================

Do you know Daisy? It/she is a Danish model which
simulates water and nitrogen dynamics and which has been
used as an input to catchment scale models. The authors
work at the Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University in
Copenhagen but I don't have any Email numbers. Daisy and
WATCROS its predecessor includes a relatively simple crop
growth model. Try Hansen et al (1991) fertilizer research
27,245-259 and Ilola et al (1988) J. Agric. Sci. Finl 60,
631-660. Data on GDD for crops are available elsewhere
but may vary with latitude (photoperiod) and cultivar.

Graham Russell

Dr G. Russell
University of Edinburgh
Institute of Ecology & Resource Management (Agriculture Building)
West Mains Road
Edinburgh EH9 3JG
SCOTLAND
International phone +44 31 535 4063 Fax +44 31 667 2601
UK phone 031 535 4063 Fax 031 667 2601

Announcing the

WWW-Server for Ecological Modelling
-----------------------------------

I have opened a WWW-server providing links to ecological simulation
models and descriptions of these models. The idea is to provide
ecological modellers and other people interested in models an
easy access to software and documentation. It is also thought for
modellers who want to make their models easily available.

At the moment the possibilities exists to search for models
- by name or
- by subject.

Additional this WWW-Server integrates an interface to ECOBAS
(Documentation of mathematical formulation of ecological processes).
[!!!The public access to ECOBAS will be available in January 1995!!!]

Ideally, the server could become a central pool of information
for ecological modelling.

Access: http://dino.wiz.uni-kassel.de/ecobas.html

At this stage I invite modellers to inform us about links to available
models and documentations (An online fill-out-form exists in this server).
Also any suggestions and information about problems are welcome.

Dr. Joachim Benz
University of Kassel,
Faculty of Agriculture, International Rural Development
and Environmental Protection (FB 11)
Nordbahnhofstr. 1a
D-37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
Phone: +49-5542-981560 FAX: +49-5542-981670
e-mail: benz@wiz.uni-kassel.de

Dear Dr. Joachim Benz,

I wonder in you know of any work in this field of modelling that usses Expert
Systems, Knowledge-Based Systems, AI technology?

regards

Dr. Frank Dowlat
------------------------------ Cut here ------------------------------