Abstract: Phenology, the study of biological events and how they are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate change, is an important indicator of climate change, as more and more studies suggest that plant phenology goes through dramatic change in response to climate change. Thus an accurate phenology model is needed for us to accurately understand the mechanism of how crops respond to global climate change. Phenological sub-models are being widely used in the models such as ecosystem productivity models, land surface process models and crop simulation models, because phenology provides important data. A good phenology model improves the accuracy of the simulation of energy exchange between the earth and its atmosphere and the accuracy of carbon assessment. A robust phenology model has gradually become a critical tool for improving the accuracy of the simulation of the changes of crops in response to climate change, and the simulation of crop phenology in turn is an important part of crop model. Rice is one of the most important crops in the world and is the major food crop in China. This paper reviews research progress on rice phenology models abroad and at home, discusses the categories of the models and uses several models as examples. The current issues and future trends are suggested as well. This review can serve as a reference for research on rice phenology models and crop models.

Key words: developmental stage, model, phenology, rice