Impact of climatic variables on the spatial and temporal variability ofcrop yield and biomass gap in Sub-Saharan Africa- a case study inCentral Ghana

We investigated the impact of climate variables on yield and biomass gap variability in two humid topi-cal regions, Brong-Ahafo and Ashanti region, of central Ghana using the crop model LINTUL5 embedded into a general modeling framework, SIMPLACE (Scientific Impact Assessment and Modelling Platform for Advanced Crop and Ecosystem Management). The simulations were run using a late maturity maize variety (Obatanpa) and historical weather data (1992–2007) across the 18 districts of the regions studied. The simulated maize yield and biomass production under water-limited conditions varied spatially which was significantly correlated with the solar radiation and precipitation in the crop growing period , whereas, associated temporal variability in the simulated maize yield was significantly correlated with the radiation in the crop growing period.