Saadi Shahadha, IPSS graduate student in soil physics, recently won third place in the ‘Examples of Model Applications in Field Research’ student poster competition at the 2017 ASA/CSSA meeting.  Saadi received a certificate and a cash award for his poster "Crop Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficients - Sources of Uncertainty".

Saadi is a native of Iraq where he earned his Master degree in Soil and Water Sciences from the College of Agriculture - University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IRAQ. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate under the guidance of Dr. Ole Wendroth.

"Crop evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential part of the water balance in agricultural systems. Its quantification is very complex because plant roots which take up water grow below the ground surface. Therefore, several ways to indirectly assess crop evapotranspiration are investigated in this project. Evapotranspiration depends on weather, crop growth status, and soil water availability. Our study reveals seasonal changes in ET and combines field measurements of soil water status, lab measurements on soil physical properties, and a computer simulation model that integrates all the weather, soil, and management impacts on crop growth and evapotranspiration."