To DSSAT folks:

I'm not sure I see much difference from my perspective.  I'm interested in
everything that Matthias discusses in the proposed interdisciplinary
discussion forum on plant modelling, and have been hoping that the DSSAT
models would be getting there in the long-run (adding more complexity
(disciplines) where appropriate (soil fertility, plant pests, physiology,
micrometereology, molecular biology, etc.), as well as adding more species
where folks are interrested in contributing).

So, is this a duplicate discussion forum, requiring me to sign up for two
listserves in order to participate?  Is that necessary?  I would just as
soon have the discussion in one place.

Ken Boote

At 05:16 PM 1/19/04 +0100, you wrote:
>Dear members of the DSSAT-L list,
>
>a new interdisciplinary discussion forum on plant
>modelling has been launched. Its main purpose is
>to enhance communication among researchers working
>in different areas of plant science such as eco-physiology,
>molecular biology, micrometeorology, soil science, ecology
>and agriculture. It is not targeted at a particular
>level of biological organization and attempts to
>improve our understanding of whole-plant
>functioning.
>
>To subscribe send an email to [log in to unmask]
>and write in the message body:
>SUBSCRIBE PLANTMODELS-L YourFirstName YourLastName
>
>Gerrit asked me to explain the differences between
>this new listserver and the DSSAT and AGMODELS listservers
>and why it would be interesting for you to subsribe:
>
>DSSAT's and AGMODELS's prime aims are to enhance our
>understanding of yield formation processes and
>to predict consequences of crop system manipulation.
>The complexity of cropping systems models has
>considerably increased during the past two decades.
>Yet, practical considerations and statistical
>restrictions caused the mainstream of crop models
>to remain on the system level.
>
>PLANTMODELS-L opens the horizon to deeper levels of
>biological organization and delves into complexity.
>This will inevitably increase the number and range
>of modelling errors - a phenomena which is known
>as the complexity paradox. In crop modelling it is
>a common practice to keep the scope of models as
>simple as possible to reduce such errors. However,
>this also means to abandon complexity which cannot be
>the goal of quantitative plant science. PLANTMODELS-L
>attempts to fill this gap. It regards models as useful
>heuristic tools to reduce search in seeking problem
>solutions for research issues in ecological plant
>physiology which are typically marked by daunting
>complexities.
>
>PLANTMODELS-L tries to bring together modellers
>from different disciplines and to produce
>synergistic effects. Same research issues are often
>treated from different viewpoints. Solutions may
>be process or system oriented. An interdisciplinary
>discussion forum covering different scales and topics
>will certainly produce synergistic effects.
>
>Members of the DSSAT and AGMODELS lists will benefit
>from joining this new list by receiving complementary
>information about modelling plant physiological processes.
>Besides, discussions are not only related to a few
>economical important plants but to any plant specie
>that is of current interest.
>
>I wish you pleasure in participating in the discussions
>in case you decide to join PLANTMODELS-L.
>
>Regards,
>Matthias Langensiepen
>
>--
>Matthias Langensiepen, PhD
>Modelling Plant Systems
>Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture
>Humboldt-University of Berlin
>Berlin, Germany