Troubleshooting

This chapter collects common failure modes and how to think through them.

Problem: the wrapper cannot find a file

Likely causes:

  • wrong DSSAT_path
  • wrong project_file
  • missing genotype files
  • companion observation files not where the wrapper expects them

What to do:

  1. run the self-check
  2. inspect the reported paths
  3. confirm whether the project lives in the DSSAT install or in an external directory

Problem: the run exits with no PlantGro.OUT

Likely causes:

  • DSSAT itself rejected the experiment
  • the wrong module was used
  • a required companion file is missing
  • the experiment is valid only with a non-default engine

What to do:

  1. inspect ERROR.OUT
  2. inspect WARNING.OUT
  3. confirm the intended module_code

Problem: observations are not found

Likely causes:

  • the observation files live beside the project file, not in the installed crop folder
  • file suffixes differ from what you expected
  • the requested experiment name does not match the actual observation filename stem

What to do:

  1. check the project directory
  2. check the installed crop folder
  3. inspect the experiment stem and crop code suffix

Problem: the variable you requested is missing

Likely causes:

  • that family uses a different output variable name
  • the variable is not written in that output file
  • the run succeeded but your request needs an alias

What to do:

  1. inspect the names returned by the simulation object
  2. check whether another family-specific variable is the right target
  3. extend alias handling if this is a legitimate recurring case

Problem: the model launches but the biology looks wrong

That is a different class of problem.

Now you should inspect:

  • weather linkage
  • soil parameters
  • planting density
  • fertilizer schedule
  • cultivar and ecotype choice
  • target variable definition

At that stage, the wrapper may be working perfectly and the scientific setup may still need revision.