The effects of ethylene evolved from ethephon on leaf and whole plant photosynthesis in Xanthium strumarium L. were examined. Ethylene-induced epinasty reduced light interception by the leaves of ethephon treated plants by up to 60%. Gas exchange values of individual, attached leaves under identical assay conditions were not inhibited even after 36 hours of ethylene exposure, although treated l...

INTERNATIONAL DWARF FRUIT TREE ASSOCIATION Apple yield and fruit quality are the end result of myriad cultural practices (e.g., pruning, thinning, spraying), environmental inputs (e.g., light, carbon dioxide, water, nutrient supply) and physiological processes (e.g., leaf area development, light interception, photosynthesis, respiration). All of them are truly essential contributors to fruit pr...

In a tree, the distribution of leaf inclination angles plays an important role in photosynthesis and water interception. We investigate here the effect of mechanical deformations of leaves due to wind or their own weight on this distribution. First, the specific role of the geometry of the tree is identified and shown to be weak, using models of idealized tree and tools of statistical mechanics...

The form of the Apple tree is decided by the organ position of the tree, it affects not ONLY the relationship between the vegetative growth and the fruit production, but also the fruit quality. In this research, the continuous growth for 3 years was gotten with polhemus fastrak, and the apple tree model was built in the POV-ray to simulate the interception of the sunlight. A mathematic model wa...

Plant structural diversity is usually considered as beneficial for ecosystem functioning. For instance, numerous studies have reported positive species diversity-productivity relationships in plant communities. However, other aspects of structural diversity such as individual size inequality have been far less investigated. In forests, tree size inequality impacts directly tree growth and asymm...

A 2-year study was conducted to determine the relationships between plant canopy photosynthesis, canopy light interception, and plant productivity of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) exhibiting differing leaf morphologies. The near-isogenic lines were from a single background (MD 65-11) and represented the leaf shapes Normal (small leaf lobing), Sub-Okra (intermediate leaf lobing), Okra (large le...

In biodiversity experiments based on seeded experimental communities, species richness and species composition exert a strong influence on canopy structure and can lead to an improved use of aboveground resources. In this study, we want to explore whether these findings are applicable to agriculturally managed permanent grassland. Vertical layered profiles of biomass, leaf area (LA) and light i...

Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, is the most important species from the Araceae family. The leaf area (LA) is important for the interception of solar radiation and for the biomass production. The light extinction coefficient (k) is related to the leaf inclination angle, leaf arrangement, regarding the Leaf Area Index (LAI), providing an indication of the plants efficiency on intercepting ...