MunThaiDSS: A Decision Support System for Cassava Production

A Decision Support System (DSS) for cassava production in Thailand was developed to allow “what-if?” questions to be addressed by users, to enhance the capabilities of decision making of primary producers and their advisers. The initiative has been partly driven by the increased complexity of primary production brought on by market globalization, the need for sustainable production practices, and the increasing rate and volume of information exchange. Decision support systems can assist producers in making better decisions by integrating information into a more useable form, altering production systems, enhancing management skills, and reducing costs of production. In this study, a cassava production DSS called MunThai 1.0 shell was developed to link the Database Management System (DBMS) and Modelbase Management Systems (MBMS) of Khon Kaen province area. DBMS includes weather, soil, and cassava production area map of Khon Kaen province. MBMS uses the DSSAT-Cassava simulation model, which simulate daily growth and development of various cassava cultivars under various management practices. With the shell, the user can simulate growth and development of the major cassava cultivars in various production strategies. Cassava production in other areas, i.e., provinces, can be easy simulated with the shell providing that the required data made available to the system.