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A study of ryegrass architecture as a self-regulated system, using functional-structural plant modelling
Alban Verdenal1, Didier Combes1, Abraham J Escobar-Gutiérrez1
1INRA, UR4, URP3F, Equipe d'Ecophysiologie des Plantes Fourragères, BP 6, F-86600 Lusignan, France.
Functional Plant Biology : FPB
|July 22, 2020
Summary
This study models perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) canopy structure, revealing self-regulation mechanisms that influence forage yield and quality. These findings offer practical insights for ryegrass modeling and management.
Area of Science:
- Plant Science
- Computational Biology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Grassland canopy structure significantly impacts forage quantity and quality, crucial for grazing and mowing.
- Plant architecture in species like perennial ryegrass is sensitive to environmental factors and management practices, such as cutting regimes.
- Architectural plasticity in perennial ryegrass may involve a self-regulation process where plant structure influences its own development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that perennial ryegrass exhibits self-regulation in its morphogenetic processes.
- To develop and validate a functional-structural model of ryegrass morphogenesis incorporating cybernetic (self-regulation) behavior.
Main Methods:
- Development of an exploratory functional-structural model for ryegrass morphogenesis.
- Utilized the L-system formalism as the basis for the model.
- Simulated ryegrass growth under both non-limiting conditions and a cutting constraint.
Main Results:
- The model successfully captured major quantitative architectural traits of perennial ryegrass.
- Simulations under cutting constraints demonstrated the model's ability to handle management impacts.
- Identified that self-regulation rules are potentially useful for ryegrass modeling.
Conclusions:
- Self-regulation mechanisms appear to play a role in perennial ryegrass architecture and development.
- The proposed cybernetic model provides a robust framework for understanding ryegrass morphogenesis.
- Integrated self-regulation rules show compatibility with observed ryegrass growth patterns, suggesting practical applications in modeling.
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