INVESTIGADORES
MADDONNI Gustavo Angel
artículos
Título:
Light interception of contrasting leaf azimuth canopies under square and rectangular plant spatial distributions: simulations and crop measurements
Autor/es:
MADDONNI, G. A.; CHELLE, M.; DROUET, J-L.; AND ANDRIEU, B
Revista:
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
Editorial:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Referencias:
Lugar: AMSTERDAM; Año: 2001 vol. 70 p. 1 - 13
ISSN:
0378-4290
Resumen:
Several studies have considered maize canopy as a homogeneous medium with a random leaf orientation distribution. Recent studies, however, have detected that maize leaf orientation in the horizontal plane (i.e., leaf azimuth distribution) can reacts filling empty spaces (e.g., intra-row or inter-row) due to plant spatial arrangement. Rigid genotypes present a random distribution of leaf azimuth, independent of planting pattern. Plastic genotypes have the ability to modify leaf orientation. They generally present a random leaf azimuth distribution under square planting patterns, but tend to align their leaves perpendicularly to the row direction under rectangular planting patterns. We used three-dimensional models to reconstruct canopy architecture, mimicking these two behaviors. We simulated mid-day (maximum sun elevation 79.4° and 65.3°) and daily light interception of fully developed canopies at various plant densities (3, 9 and 12 plants m-2) and row spacings (0.35-m and 0.70-m), and compared the results of these simulations with data from a field experiment. Simulations and field measurements showed that canopy behavior (plastic or rigid) has a significant (P<0.05) effect on light interception. Plastic canopies in a rectangular plant spatial distribution were able to increase (6-10% around mid-day,) or maintain (during a day) similar light attenuation coefficients (k) to those under square-planting patterns. In rigid canopies, on the contrary, there was a reduction in k (10-12%) when grown under rectangular planting patterns, both at mid-day and during a day. Our results suggest that the plasticity of maize canopy, based on leaf re-orientation, results in similar daily light interception values in different inter-row distances.
