Section 5: Land Cover/Plant

The plant growth component of SWAT+ is a simplified version of the EPIC plant growth model. As in EPIC, phenological plant development is based on daily accumulated heat units, potential biomass is based on a method developed by Monteith, a harvest index is used to calculate yield, and plant growth can be inhibited by temperature, water, nitrogen, or phosphorus stress. Portions of the EPIC plant growth model that were not incorporated into SWAT+ include detailed root growth, micronutrient cycling and toxicity responses, and the simultaneous growth of multiple plant species in the same HRU.