The grain supply chain of the Piana Reatina is characterized by extensive cereal and grass crops such as soft and hard wheat, corn and sunflower. Specifically, a number of experimental fields were selected in which to carry out project activities concerning the planting of soft and hard wheat varieties. For these fields, from the early stages of development, monitoring of crop growth was possible through non-destructive sampling as well as destructive sampling, in addition todata analysis from satellite imagery.

The crop simulation model to be used within the project was also identified and studied. The model selected is DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer), which allows users to compare simulated and observed results. After studying the operation of the model, the sensitivity of the model was evaluated in this first phase (using weather and soil data from the Rieti Plain).

Subsequent activities emphasized the calibration of the DSSAT crop simulation model. The data collected were entered through satellite monitoring and scouting during the 2022-2023 crop year of durum and soft wheat on the Rieti Plain.