Version 2.1 of the NuMaSS Software is Available
The Nutrient Management Support System (NuMaSS) is a Windows 9x/NT/XP-compatible
software that helps in management decisions on soil acidity, nitrogen and phosphorus for crops
in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The software was developed by a team of
SM-CRSP investigators from both U.S. universities and national and international institutes
throughout the tropics. Version 2.0 of NuMaSS was released in 2002. Release of the current
version 2.1 corrects several problems we have encountered in the software during our ongoing
efforts to support the adoption of NuMaSS by soil nutrient management programs of
collaborators throughout the tropics.
The 16 megabite file for version 2.1, which contains a software
manual, installation instructions and program files, can be downloaded from
http://intdss.soil.ncsu.edu.
| Workshop participants working
with the NuMaSS software at various workshops. |
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International Training Program on Integrated Soil Fertility
Management in the Tropics, IFDC, Lome, Togo, October 7-12, 2002 |
NuMaSS Training Workshop for participants of CIAT's Integrated
Steepland Management Consortia in Honduras and Nicaragua, Siguatepeque,
Honduras, August 5-7, 2002 |
Assistance in nutrient management decisions to grow a crop under user-specified field conditions
is provided through three software modules:
- The Diagnosis module addresses the question of
whether acidity, nitrogen or phosphorus problems exist based on observations provided about
geographical location, climatic conditions, soil type, previous crop yield and nutrient
management, nutrient deficiency symptoms and indicator plants. Soil and plant analytical data
are considered, if available, but are not required.
- The Prediction module recommends lime and nutrient inputs to correct identified acidity,
nitrogen and phosphorus problems that could limit achievement of the yield level specified by
the user for the selected crop. Lime and fertilizer recommendations provided by NuMaSS
account for differences in available nutrient sources and nutrient requirements among crop
species and cultivars, but user input of a minimum soil analytical data set is required. The soil
analysis data are restricted to measurements routinely determined by soil testing laboratories.
- With user input of commodity prices and lime/fertilizer costs, the Economics module estimates
net returns to applied nutrients. Users can compare different types of elemental fertilizers,
available commercial blends and organic sources. For each combination of nutrient sources,
NuMaSS will estimate amounts of inputs for either the best profit or the best yield. Economic
estimates can also be constrained by specifying a maximum amount of fertilizers to be applied or
a given amount of cash to be invested in fertilizers and application costs. For each of the various
user-selected scenarios, NuMaSS estimates whether there will be a surplus or deficit in applied
nitrogen and phosphorus.
International Workshop on Decision Processes for Determining
Diagnostic and Predictive Criteria for Soil Nutrient Management,
PhilRice Inst., Maligaya, Philippines,
September 6-10, 1999.
The integration of nutrient diagnosis, prediction and economics in NuMaSS empowers users to
compare and make choices among different field conditions, cropping strategies and nutrient
source alternatives. The software contains an extensive database assembled from published and
gray literature on field and laboratory investigations conducted throughout tropical regions for
the following crops: bambarra groundnut, cassava, cotton, cowpea, peanut, phaseolus bean,
maize, mung bean, pearl millet, potato, sorghum, soybean, upland rice, wheat, yam, and forage
grasses and legumes. A module for tree crops is also included, using peach palm for heart-ofpalm
production as the test crop.
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