Variability of leaf traits related to photosynthesis was assessed in seedlings from 14 tree species growing in the tropical rain forest of French Guiana. Leaf photosynthetic capacity (maximum rate of carboxylation and maximum rate of electron transport) was estimated by fitting a biochemical model of photosynthesis to response curves of net CO2 assimilation rate versus intercellular CO2 mole fr...

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of two important factors: light and water availability on the leaf characteristics and the growth of plants. Seedlings of Quercus suber were grown under controlled conditions (greenhouse) with three light treatments (100, 27 and 3 % of incident light, open, shade and deep shade; respectively) and with daily irrigation. Since middle spring, one...

Leaf area growth determines the light interception capacity of a crop and is often used as a surrogate for plant growth in high-throughput phenotyping systems. The relationship between leaf area growth and growth in terms of mass will depend on how carbon is partitioned among new leaf area, leaf mass, root mass, reproduction, and respiration. A model of leaf area growth in terms of photosynthet...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Specific leaf area (SLA) is a critical component of the leaf economics spectrum, and many functional leaf traits have been empirically demonstrated to covary with SLA. However, a complete understanding of how change in leaf size influences SLA has not yet emerged. • METHODS To help develop a more complete understanding of the determinants of variability in S...

In the turfgrass industry, the need for salinity tolerant turfgrasses is increasing because of the increased use of saline and non-potable water. Greenhouse container experiments were conducted to determine the relative salinity tolerance and growth responses of eleven native populations of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schrub) (TF), including: Semirom, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Yasuj, Yazd Abad, D...

This study investigates the applicability of empirical and radiative transfer models to estimate water content at leaf and landscape level. Themain goal is to evaluate and compare the accuracy of these two approaches for estimating leaf water content by means of laboratory reflectance/transmittance measurements and for mapping leaf and canopy water content by using airborne Multispectral Infrar...

Rhamnus cathartica is an invasive shrub capable of high fecundity in North America. The physiology of R. cathartica has received little attention, but more is needed to understand traits that enhance its success in disturbed environments. Such data may help to predict invasiveness of closely related species such as Frangula caroliniana. We hypothesized that R. catharticawould have greater relat...

Data from Spanish and Italian olive orchards with different cultivars (‘‘Manzanilla’’, ‘‘Frantoio’’, ‘‘Leccino’’, ‘‘Razzola’’ and ‘‘Taggiasca’’) growing in different environments (southern Spain; north, centre and south of Italy) were used to illustrate how models on water use and photosynthetic behaviour of the olive tree can be useful tools for choosing pruning intensity and canopy shape for ...