Modelling kinetics of plant canopy architecture—concepts and applications

Abstract

Most crop models simulate the crop canopy as an homogeneous medium. This approach enables modelling of mass and energy transfer through relatively simple equations, and is useful for understanding crop production. However, schematisation of an homogeneous medium cannot address the heterogeneous nature of canopies and interactions between plants or plant organs, and errors in calculation of light interception may occur.Moreover, conventional crop models do not describe plant organs before they are visible externally e.g young leaves of grasses. The conditions during early growth of individual organs are important determinants of final organ size, causing difficulties in incorporating effects of environmental stresses in such models. Limited accuracy in describing temporal source-sink relationships also contributes to difficulty in modelling dry matter distribution and paramaterisation of harvest indices.Functional-architectural modelling overcomes these limitations by (i) representing crops as populations of individual plants specified in three dimensions and (ii) by modelling whole plant growth and development from the behaviour of individual organs, based on sound models of organs such as leaves and internodes. Since individual plants consist of numerous organs, generic models of organ growth applicable across species are desirable. Consequently, we are studying the development of individual organs, and parameterising it in terms of environmental variables and plant characteristics.Models incorporating plant architecture are currently applied in education, using dynamic visual representation for teaching growth and development. In research, the 3D representation of plants addresses issues presented above and new applications including modelling of pesticide distribution, fungal spore dispersal through splashing and plant to plant heterogeneity.

Review: Improving the Impact of Plant Science on Urban Planning and Design

“…Earlier research in this field focused on understanding light interception using process-based static models where computational models estimated crop growth, driven by light interception, and consideration of the growth rates of individual components such as leaves, stems, etc. [59][60][61]. More recent analyses are utilising functional-structural plant models to allow for the effects of each plant on neighbouring plants, thus treating the crop canopy as the sum of each individual plant [62].…”

Variação espaço-temporal do índice de área foliar e brix em cana-de-açúcar

“…BIRCH et al (2003) apontam como solução simular o crescimento das plantas de forma individual utilizando as três dimensões do plano, considerando o desenvolvimento de órgãos como folhas e internódios individualmente, compreendendo a dinâmica de extensão vertical e expansão horizontal das partes da planta e a ocupação do espaço entre elas. Futuramente, essa simulação tridimensional individual explicará a interação entre planta daninha e cultura ou em sistemas agroflorestais, bem como será utilizada em locais onde a heterogeneidade dos solos é grande aliada a sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG).…”

Modelling three‐dimensional architecture of pine tree(Pinus sylvestrislinn, vanmongolicalitv.) in a semiarid area

“…Therefore, it is difficult to describe quantitatively the ecophysiological process of plant and water transport in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) system when the temporal and spatial variability of microclimates are not considered. Consequently, botanists and agronomists are paying increasing attention to research based on the architecture of individual plants (Guo & Li 2001 ;Birch et al 2003).…”