Crop Structure

SATORRE, E.H.

Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology

Springer Science

Año: 2011; p. 1 - 17

Crop yields mostly depend on the growth rate experienced by the plant during particular critical periods. The amount of the resources captured and the resource 59 use efficiency determine the growth rate of the crop 60 plants at those crucial stages for yield determination. Since plants stand still in the land, the way they are distributed greatly influence the ability of a crop to capture and use environmental resources (radiation, water, and nutrients), which are necessary for growth and yield. The spatial arrangement of plants and the temporal development of their structures (mainly leaves and roots) define the crop structure. Crop structure may be then analyzed and described in many ways. However, most effort has been concentrated on describing the size and distribution of leaves, which capture the radiant energy, since they are aboveground and easy to measure. The study of yield response to crop structure has conformed to the scientific basis for important technical management decisions and technologies involving crop density, and distance between rows and rectangularity in both mono- and polycultures in various agricultural systems of the world. Crop structure, as a research topic, is one of the few examples in which science dynamically contributes to develop crop management strategies and to guide genetic improvement among crop species. At present, the manipulation of crop structure is not only explored in controlled, semi-controlled, and field research experiments, but also in mathematical modelling, which evidences the complexity of the interactions that need to be explored and, at the same time, the maturity of the knowledge reached in this area.