V-Mango: a functional-structural model of mango tree growth, development and fruit production

Area of Science:

• Plant modeling
• Functional-structural plant architecture
• Agricultural systems modeling

Background:

• Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivation faces challenges including irregular yields, phenological asynchronisms, and variable fruit quality.
• These issues stem from complex vegetative and reproductive development patterns in mango trees.
• Existing models do not fully capture these intricate developmental dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrative functional-structural plant model for mango trees.
• To simulate vegetative and reproductive development, phenology, and fruit production.
• To provide a tool for investigating cultivation practices and improving mango production.

Main Methods:

• Architectural development model based on elementary stochastic events for botanical entities.
• Daily growth and development modeled using empirical distributions and thermal time.
• Fruit growth simulated using an ecophysiological model focusing on carbon and water processes.

Main Results:

• The model accurately simulates growth unit, inflorescence, and fruit population dynamics.
• It effectively captures the interplay between vegetative and reproductive development.
• The model aids in characterizing pest susceptibility and understanding architecture's influence on fruit growth.

Conclusions:

• The integrative functional-structural model successfully simulates mango tree phenology and fruit production over cycles.
• It offers a precise characterization of tree development and fruit yield.
• Future work includes integrating cultivation practices like pruning into the model.