The growth module of the simulation model CropSyst and Cycles is based on the concept of resource capture and resource use efficiency.
Based on the same principles, we simulate the potential growth (i.e. that determined by radiation, temperature and air humidity) and the realized growth given a set of abiotic stresses - akin to a biophysical and agronomic yield gap (considering only abiotic stresses). Applications of machine learning help expanding the frontier of knowledge in this space. These are topics with plenty of room for graduate-student level projects.
