Title: Metaheuristics for a crop rotation problem

Authors: Angelo Aliano Filho; Helenice De Oliveira Florentino; Margarida Vaz Pato

Addresses: Curso de Biometria, Departamento de Bioestatística, IB, UNESP, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil ' Departamento de Bioestatística, IB, UNESP, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil ' CIO and ISEG, Universidade de Lisboa, 1200-781, Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: This paper presents a mathematical model adapted from literature for the crop rotation problem with demand constraints (CRP-D). The main aim of the present work is to study metaheuristics and their performance in a real context. The proposed algorithms for solution of the CRP-D are a genetic algorithm, a simulated annealing and hybrid approaches: a genetic algorithm with simulated annealing and a genetic algorithm with local search algorithm. A new constructive heuristic was also developed to provide initial solutions for the metaheuristics. Computational experiments were performed using a real planting area and semi-randomly generated instances created by varying the number, positions and dimensions of the lots. The computational results showed that these algorithms determined good feasible solutions in a short computing time as compared with the time spent to get optimal solutions, thus proving their efficacy for dealing with this practical application of the CRP-D.

Keywords: optimisation; metaheuristics; crop rotation; mathematical modelling; genetic algorithms; simulated annealing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMHEUR.2014.065169

International Journal of Metaheuristics, 2014 Vol.3 No.3, pp.199 - 222

Received: 25 Sep 2013
Accepted: 31 Mar 2014

Published online: 24 Oct 2014 *

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