This book is timely, given food security concerns and interests in crop models to inform solutions. It is well written, logically structured and provides valuable coverage of crop modelling to both novice and experienced modellers. Quantitative hypotheses for key processes are presented, emphasising simple approaches appropriate across a range of conditions. The book focuses on fundamental aspects of crop physiology, facilitating detailed studies and wider generalisations about future productivity.

There are four parts: Background (what is a model, guides to construction, evaluation and applications); Key Physiological Processes (phenology, vernalization, leaf area, dry matter production and yield formation); Water and Nitrogen Limited Models, covering soil water and nitrogen processes. Sugarcane is the example crop for model development, though concepts, methods and coding are applicable across C3 and C4 crops. Examples, equations and practical exercises are provided with Visual Basic and Excel code to facilitate development of application experience and experimentation (website http://sites.google.com/site/CropModelling). The important connection is made between the need for model developers and users to have fundamental crop physiology, soil water and nitrogen process knowledge, and an ability to formulate these mathematically and code into useable models.

The text is readable, conveying key points well, despite covering technically challenging subjects. It serves as a good example of how knowledge from multiple disciplines can be integrated into a useful tool. General information on available data for modelling purposes is provided. There is no concluding chapter, instead the book ends somewhat suddenly. Overall it is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners across a broad range of disciples covering crop physiology, soil water and nitrogen processes and model development and application.