AquaCropUC Davis Global Environmental Change LabView code

The model

A clear view of the
soil–water–plant–atmosphere system.

AquaCrop is FAO's process-based crop model for simulating crop growth and yield response to water. It balances biological realism with a relatively small set of parameters—making rigorous analysis accessible where data are limited.

Visit FAO AquaCrop
AquaCrop model schematic showing how weather, temperature stress, water stress, canopy cover, evapotranspiration, biomass, harvest index, and rooting depth interact to determine crop yield.AquaCrop process schematic
OpenPython workflow
DailyProcess dynamics
3 scalesField to global
Biometeorological processesCrop phenology · canopy and root development · transpiration · temperature and water stress
Parsimonious by designBiological realism with a relatively small, interpretable parameter set
Management-responsive scenariosRainfed and irrigated systems · deficit irrigation · planting and soil management
Decision-ready outputsCrop yield · crop water demand · crop evapotranspiration · soil-water balance
Maize canopy and root development simulated by AquaCrop from emergence to maturity

Canopy cover

Tracks canopy development from emergence through senescence, including how temperature, weather stresses, and soil-water availability accelerate or constrain green canopy expansion.

Crop transpiration and root water uptake represented in the AquaCrop model

Crop transpiration

Calculates crop water use from reference evapotranspiration and canopy cover, while adjusting root uptake and stomatal response as soil water becomes limiting.

AquaCrop conversion of crop transpiration to biomass and harvestable grain yield

Biomass and harvestable yield

Converts transpiration into aboveground biomass through normalized water productivity and applies the dynamic harvest index to translate biomass into crop yield.

AquaCrop multilayer soil hydrology including rainfall, runoff, infiltration, root uptake, and drainage

Hydrology

Represents the full hydrological cycle across multiple soil layers, including rainfall, runoff, infiltration, evaporation, root uptake, redistribution, deep drainage, and groundwater interactions.