Simulation of grass growth and pasture yields with ModVege

Predicting grass growth could be very useful for the management of pastures, or deciding the best time to harvest hay meadows. The ModVege model was tested and improved using a set of 125 situations (meadow × year × management) collected from grassland areas in Switzerland. Comparisons between simulated and measured data show relatively reliable outputs in a majority of situations. However, the results were less satisfying during periods of prolonged drought. In the medium term, it is planned to disseminate the simulations via the Agrometeo platform.