The use of simulation models is a necessity and also an aid in the decision-making process in sustainable agricultural systems. Organizing the experimental knowledge of crop production systems without the book keeping and deductive methods of mathematics is very difficult. This book aims to guide readers in the process by which the properties of the systems can be grasped in the framework of mathematical structure with minimal mathematical prerequisites. The objective of this book is to help the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students in the disciplines of agronomy, plant breeding, agricultural meteorology, crop physiology, agricultural economics, entomology, plant pathology, soil science and ecology (environmental science). This book may also be useful for administrators in various agricultural universities in order to direct research, extension and teaching activities. Planners at national and state levels may also benefit from this book.
Philosophy, Role and Terminology of System Science: History of System Science
General Topology and Terminology of Systems
Three Problems Development of Model Structure: Variables and their Classification
Relationship between Variables
Structural (Black Box) Model
Refinement in Structural Models
Specification of Component Behavior: Algebraic Form
Use of Matrix Algebra in Principal Component Analysis
Use of Matrix Algebra in Linear Programming for Optimization of the System
Use of Matrix Algebra for Distance Measurements
Integral-Differential Form
Parameter Estimation
Non-statistical Procedure for Estimating the Parameters (Physical Approach)
Computer Implementation: Model Software Requirement
Generalized Model
Software Specification
Data Systems
Model Testing and Validation: Sensitivity Analysis
Stability Analysis
Validation
Biological Application of Models: Prey-Predator System
Plant Competition Studies
Environmental Management
Appendix: A. Exercises on Modeling Crop Production Systems
B. Discussion and Solutions of Exercises
Biography
P Singh