Garden with Insight v1.0 Help: Default aspect groups for Garden with Insight version 1.0

This section of the help system describes the model aspects -- the parameters and variables used in the simulation (which are seen in the browser). The descriptions here are nearly the same as the aspect hints, with some extra information. We have also included information from the EPIC help files for some of the parameters. Remember that if you have changed the contents of any groups the descriptions here may not match what you have in your groups.
For definitions of some basic model terms (such as bulk density), see the Model glossary. For definitions of some program terms (such as templates), see the Program glossary. For description of the simulation's models, see the Models section. For other questions, see the main Help contents.

Basic and Bag groups

Basic: Some of the most often used aspects for the weather, soil patches and plants.
Bag contents: Things in the bag template that can be applied to the soil when you use a bag (with the apply tool action) to amend the soil. Any quantity in the bag template above zero will be applied to the soil.

Plant groups

Plant daily biomass: Dry weights of different parts of the plant.
Plant daily decay: Reductions in plant biomass for various reasons today.
Plant daily development: Indexes of plant growth and development through the growing season, including the development of flowers and fruits.
Plant daily growth constraints: Restrictions on plant growth today due to various environmental stresses.
Plant daily N: Nitrogen demand, supply and uptake by the plant today.
Plant daily new growth: New photosynthetic growth today and its allocation to different parts of the plant.
Plant daily P: Phosphorus demand, supply and uptake by the plant today.
Plant daily size: Simulated physical size of the plant.
Plant daily water: The uptake and transpiration of water.
Plant draw flowers female: Parameters for how to draw the plant's female flowers.
Plant draw flowers male: Parameters for how to draw the plant's male flowers.
Plant draw fruits: Parameters for how to draw the plant's fruits.
Plant draw general: Some general plant drawing parameters.
Plant draw inflorescences female: Parameters for how to draw the plant's female inflorescences (flower stalks).
Plant draw inflorescences male: Parameters for how to draw the plant's male inflorescences (flower stalks).
Plant draw internodes: Parameters for how to draw the plant's internodes (stem).
Plant draw leaves: Parameters for how to draw the plant's leaves.
Plant draw meristem: Parameters for how to draw the plant's buds.
Plant draw root: Parameters for how to draw the plant's root (the part that shows above the ground).
Plant draw seedling leaves: Parameters for how to draw the plant's first leaves.
Plant params development: Parameters for how the plant grows and changes throughout its life.
Plant params erosion: Parameters for how the plant change wind and water erosion of the soil in which it is planted.
Plant params flowering: Parameters for how and when the plant develops its reproductive structures.
Plant params germination: Parameters for germination requirements.
Plant params growing season: Parameters that determine how the plant's growing season is determined using heat units.
Plant params harvest items: Parameters for how parts of the plant are harvested.
Plant params nutrients: Parameters for how the plant takes up and depends on nitrogen and phosphorus.
Plant params options: Turning on and off daily plant processes.
Plant params photosynthesis: Parameters for how the plant photosynthesizes.
Plant params size: Parameters for how the plant grows in physical size.
Plant params stress tolerance: Parameters for how the plant responds to environmental stresses.
Plant params transpiration: Parameters for plant transpiration.

Soil groups

Soil daily erosion: Today's water and wind erosion and several aspects used in their simulation.
Soil daily N: Nitrogen in the soil layers in its several simulated forms.
Soil daily N cycling: Changes in the forms of nitrogen in the soil today due to various cycling processes.
Soil daily N losses: Losses of nitrogen from the soil today.
Soil daily N sources: Additions of nitrogen to the soil today.
Soil daily organic matter: Organic matter in the soil layers and mulch, its forms, and changes to it today.
Soil daily P: Phosphorus in the soil layers in its several simulated forms.
Soil daily P cycling: Changes in the forms of phosphorus in the soil today due to various processes.
Soil daily P losses: Losses of phosphorus from the soil today.
Soil daily P sources: Additions of phosphorus to the soil today.
Soil daily plant means: Averages and other values calculated from all the plants in a soil patch today.
Soil daily state: Some general things about the soil patch state -- depths, layers, days since auto operations.
Soil daily structure/chemistry: Several variables relating to soil chemistry, including bulk density, cation exchange capacity, pH.
Soil daily surface: Properties at the soil surface, including mulch and soil rows and furrows (ditches).
Soil daily temperature: The temperature in each soil layer and various aspects used to calculate it.
Soil daily water: Water in each soil layer and the water constants that determine soil water behavior.
Soil daily water balance: Changes in soil water today.
Soil daily water runoff: Runoff of rainwater off the soil surface and variables used to calculate it.
Soil params auto operations: Turning on and off automatic operations on the soil patch.
Soil params erosion: Parameters that affect water and wind erosion.
Soil params general: General soil parameters.
Soil params options: Turning on and off soil processes.
Soil params water: Parameters that affect how water moves through the soil.
Soil params watershed: Parameters that describe the larger water drainage area (watershed) around the soil patch.

Weather groups

Weather matrices: Autocorrelation matrices used to generate simulated weather.
Weather normalizing: Factors that keep the simulated weather within reasonable bounds.
Weather params: Parameters that describe a climate's weather patterns.
Weather smoothed means: Daily values interpolated from monthly long-term averages to generate daily weather.
Weather station values: Some characteristics of this climate used to generate the weather that were calculated from other parameters.
Weather today: Today's simulated weather.

Help Contents