How can I verify that a pesticide application was actually executed?

[Keith Kagiri]

Hi everyone,

I'm using SWAT+ Toolbox and have completed flow calibration/validation. I'm now trying to model Atrazine.

I added aatrex as a pesticide, created a pesticide operation (pest, March 15, aerial_liquid, 2.24 kg/ha), linked it to my agricultural management schedule (agrl_rot), and reran the model.

The Management tab shows the operation correctly, but I can't find any evidence that it was executed:

• Searching mgt_out.txt for pest or aatrex returns nothing.
• management.sch still appears to reference the default decision table (pl_hv_summer1).

How can I verify that the pesticide application actually occurred? Am I supposed to add pesticide applications through operations only, or do they also need to be incorporated into the decision tables?

Thanks!

[Liliana Bettolo]

Hi Keith - 

Based on what you described, it doesn't sound like your management operations were applied. I am an early SWAT+ and SWAT+ toolbox user but I may be able to help by sharing my process. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am not sure how you are running SWAT+ but if you are running it in editor, the .sqlite database has to be updated. 

When applying management practices, I did the following steps. 

- Duplicated my project folder entirely, renamed the project folder and the .sqlite file

- Modified the .sqlite database within my new project folder using R or python, specifically management_sch and management_sch_op (I am attaching my code in which I modified the SQL database) 

- Opened the new project in SWAT+ Editor, just remember to select "No, continue to Editor" when this pop-up comes up so the model imports your new .sqlite

- Run SWAT+ with editor, this will now update all your text files

- I used SWATdoctR to help analyze my applied management operations, as well! 

I hope this helps, 

Liliana