Agroclimatic indices and simulation models.

During the past decades, in connection with the development of computers, many new software tools were developed to be used for agricultural research as well as for decision making. For example, crop and whole farm system modelling, pest and disease warning models/algorithms, models for irrigation scheduling or agroclimatic indices can help farmers significantly in decision-making for crop management options and related farm technologies. In research, models can be used to simulate and analyse the complex interactions in the soil-plant-atmosphere system for example in the important field of climate change impacts on agricultural production. All these modelled systems and their interactions include however many different kind of uncertainties and limitations, such as trends in technology and human activities, models representation of reality, lack of knowledge on system responses or lack of calibration data. Much research was done worldwide in the field of model development, model improvements or model comparisons. Also in Europe in many countries significant work was done in this area. The aims of Working Group 1 of COST734 are a review and assessment of agroclimatic indices and simulation models relevant for various European agricultural activities. The results of an europeanwide survey are presented in this study. It includes an overview of most used agrometeorological indices and process oriented models for operational and scientific applications, an analysis of the limitations for applications and an overview of spatial applications in combination with GIS and remote sensing in Europe.