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Turgor-driven plant growth applied in a soybean functional-structural plant model
Jonas R Coussement1,2, Tom De Swaef2, Peter Lootens2
1Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, Gent, Belgium.
Annals of Botany
|April 19, 2020
Summary
Modeling plant growth requires understanding turgor pressure dynamics. This study integrated a turgor-driven growth model into a soybean functional-structural plant model (FSPM) to simulate plant development and identify areas for improved accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Computational Biology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Turgor pressure is crucial for plant growth, integrating water and carbon availability.
- Modeling turgor pressure dynamics at a fine spatial scale is challenging for functional-structural plant models (FSPMs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To incorporate and evaluate a turgor-driven growth model within a soybean FSPM.
- To simulate plant growth dynamics in relation to photosynthesis, transpiration, and turgor pressure.
- To assess the model's potential and limitations using field data.
Main Methods:
- Developed a functional-structural plant model (FSPM) for soybean.
- Integrated a turgor-driven growth model into the FSPM.
- Simulated key plant physiological processes and compared model outputs with field data.
Main Results:
- Identified necessary model improvements: initial seed carbon, realistic sink function, respiration estimation, and sugar distinction.
- Observed discrepancies in individual organ growth and under varying environmental conditions.
- Highlighted the need to investigate parameter sensitivity to development and environment.
Conclusions:
- The current model serves as a diagnostic tool for plant water relations.
- Future applications include phenotyping and improving predictive FSPMs for scenarios like water deficit.
- Further research is needed to refine model parameters and enhance predictive capabilities.
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