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Title: MODEL OF LEAF AREA EXPANSION ON FIELD PEA (PISUM SATIVUM) PLANTS SUBJECTED TO SOIL WATER DEFICITS

Author
item LECOEUR, J - MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
item WERY, J - MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
item Sinclair, Thomas

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/14/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Leaf area development is a critical aspect of determining crop yields because leaf area is needed to intercept and use the sun's light energy. Importantly, leaf area development has been shown to be particularly sensitive to drought stress. An important problem is obtaining an understanding of the components of leaf area development that determine the efinal area of a leaf. This study was undertaken with field pea to develop a model describing area development of dicot leaves. The development of individual leaves consists of cell division and cell enlargement. These two processes were modelled independently and each was made sensitive to soil water deficits. The model was found to predict accurately cell number, cell size and final area of individual leaves on pea plants subjected to drought stress.

Technical Abstract: The yield of field pea (Pisum sativum) is sensitive to the development of soil water deficits. An important component of this sensitivity is the response of leaf area to drought. In this paper a simple, mechanistic model was developed to allow predictions of leaf area development in response to soil water deficits. The model calculated leaf areas of individual leaves relative to leaves on well-watered plants, as the produc of the number of cells and the size of the cells. Therefore, distinct phases of cell division and cell expansion were identified and temporally distinguished in the model. Both cell division and cell expansion were made sensitive to the fraction of transpirable soil water. The model proved capable of predicting the temporal development and the final area (r2=0.91) of individual leaves on pea plants in response to soil water deficits.