Determination of leaf characteristics in different medlar genotypes using the ImageJ program

Abstract

The size and shape of leaves can vary significantly between different genotypes within the same species and they implicitly influence plant growth and therefore productivity. The aim of this study was to compare the length, width, and surface area of leaf in nine medlar genotypes (Mespilus germanica L.) through image segmentation procedure using ImageJ software. The data indicate large variations for leaf surface area characteristics from one genotype to another, 2.12 fold for leaf surface area (22.95–48.8 cm²), 1.38 times for leaf length (8.8–12.18 cm) and 1.6 times for leaf width (3.5–5.60 cm). Leaf shape and leaf surface area vary between different genotypes analysed, and the method used can represent a good, non-destructive model of quick and reliable estimation of the medlar leaves surface area. The information obtained can be used in physiology studies, regardless of genetic material.

Medlar—A Comprehensive and Integrative Review

“…It is well known that both biological factors (species/cultivar/genotype, age, or pests) and abiotic factors (weather, soil properties, irrigation, planting distance, etc.) have a significant influence on plant tree [18,23]. Thus, the phenological stages are closely related to morphological changes, and the characteristics of fruit trees, as an interannual variability, have been observed [18].…”

“…The foliage surface of trees is also influenced by the same factors mentioned above, but, in turn, it influences principal plant processes such as photosynthesis, transpiration, and absorption [23]. Moreover, leaf characteristics (dimensions and shape) can vary significantly between different genotypes within the same species [23], having an important role on plant growth and productivity.…”

“…The foliage surface of trees is also influenced by the same factors mentioned above, but, in turn, it influences principal plant processes such as photosynthesis, transpiration, and absorption [23]. Moreover, leaf characteristics (dimensions and shape) can vary significantly between different genotypes within the same species [23], having an important role on plant growth and productivity. The leaves are elongated, lanceolate to obovate (like that of apple), entire or serrulate, dark green, 6-15 cm long, and 3-6 cm wide, and the leaves turn a special red when they acquire senescence (Figure 1d) [21,45] (Table 2).…”

“…By the 17th and 18th century, however, it was forgotten (when more convenient late-ripening fruits became abundant), but it has begun to be cultivated again today. There are several cultivars grown for their fruit's quality that include "Hollandia," "Nottingham," "Russian" [4], "Dutch" (with the largest fruits, also Several scientific papers analyzed the rediscovered medlar from various points of view: pomological [6,[17][18][19][20][21], phenotypic [3,[22][23][24][25], phylogenetic [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33], chemical composition, including polyphenols, flavonoids, other antioxidants compounds, macroelements and microelements [9,17,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], antimicrobial effects [10,[50][51][52], the influence of ripening stage [1,17,[34]…”

Performances Evaluation of a Low-Cost Platform for High-Resolution Plant Phenotyping

“…We measured LI as the angle between the leaves' surface normal and the zenith, following the methodology used in previous studies [26,43,44]. LA was calculated by color-thresholding the gridded background and setting the surface included within the leaf boundaries [26,45,46].…”