scholarly journals Instantaneous Light Measurements Predict Relative Cumulative Light Levels within an Apple Canopy

1992 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 678-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Campbell ◽  
Richard P. Marini

Percent instantaneous incident photosynthetic photon flux density (%INPPFD) was measured within an apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) canopy for various sky conditions and used to predict the percent cumulative incident photosynthetic photon density (PPD) for the last 10 weeks of the growing season (%CPPDLS) and the total growing season (%CPPDTS). Instantaneous measurements from overcast conditions were superior to measurements from clear or hazy conditions for the prediction of %CPPDLS in 1989 and 1990. A one-to-one relationship between %INPPFD and %CPPDLS was found for overcast conditions in both years, even though there was an 11% difference in total cumulative PPD between the years. The models had good predictive accuracy, with prediction coefficients of determination (R2Pred) >0.83 in both years (n = 30). %lNPPFD from overcast conditions also yielded accurate predictive models for %CPPDTS (R > 0.84, n = 30), which differed from the models for %CPPDLS. Predictive models (for both %CPPDLS and %CPPDTS) from %lNPPFD made before the canopy was fully developed differed from the models developed after canopy development was complete. The models still had good predictive accuracy, with R2Pred >0.76 (n = 30). Predictive models developed for cloudless conditions had inferior predictive accuracy (R2Pred = 0.49 to 0.80, n = 30) compared to models for overcast conditions. R2Pred were higher for hazy than for clear conditions. Time of day (1000 to 1400 hr) had no consistent effect on the development of predictive models for any weather condition. The most reliable models resulted from the average of several measurements within a day, particularly for cloudless conditions.

1992 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Campbell ◽  
Richard P. Marini

Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), measured at various canopy positions throughout the growing season in 1989 and 1990, was used to explain variation in fruit characteristics of `Delicious' apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) harvested from these positions at 135, 145, 155, and 165 days after full bloom (DAFB). Hours above an average PPFD threshold of 250 μmol·m-2·s-1 (HR250) explained an average of only 2% more variation in fruit characteristics than other PPFD threshold levels or total cumulative photosynthetic photon density (PPD) in each year. Percent of red surface had a positive linear relationship with HR250 on all harvest dates in both years; intercepts increased on each successive harvest. The slopes and R2 were highest at 135 DAFB and decreased on each successive harvest. Intensity of red pigmentation and soluble solids concentration also increased linearly with HR250, with equivalent slopes and increasing intercepts on each successive harvest. Fruit weight, flesh firmness, length: diameter ratio, and starch index were not consistently affected by any measure of canopy light levels. Except for intensity of redness, relationships developed between fruit characteristics and cumulative late-season PPD during the final 10 weeks before harvest (CPPDLS) had trends similar to the models for HR250 for all harvests in both years. Models developed with instantaneous light measurements were similar to those developed with the more detailed cumulative light measurements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Rafat ◽  
Fereidoun Rezanezhad ◽  
William Quinton ◽  
Elyn Humphreys ◽  
Kara Webster ◽  
...  

<p>The world’s cold regions are experiencing some of the fastest warming, especially during the winter and shoulder seasons. Recent studies have further highlighted the significance of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions during the non-growing season (NGS) to the annual carbon (C) budgets of northern peatlands. Because of the positive feedback of soil microbial respiration to warming, even at sub-zero temperatures, a warmer NGS may be expected to alter the C balance of peatlands, which are estimated to store about one-third of global terrestrial organic C stocks. However, estimates of NGS net ecosystem CO<sub>2</sub> exchange (NEE) of peatlands remain highly uncertain. In this study, we use a variable selection methodology and a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) to determine the most influential environmental variables affecting the NGS-NEE of CO<sub>2</sub> in a temperate Canadian peatland (Mer Bleue Bog; Ottawa, Canada). A data-driven machine learning model is trained on a 13-year (1998-2010) continuous record of eddy covariance flux measurements at the site. The model successfully reproduces the observed NGS-NEE CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes using only 7 variables: soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature, wind direction and speed, net radiation, and upwelling photosynthetic photon flux density. Of these 7 input variables, NGS-NEE is most sensitive to changes in net radiation, likely through the latter’s strong linkages to variations in plant phenology and snow cover. We further predict how the future NGS-NEE of the Mer Bleue Bog will change under three climate scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5). According to the projections, mean NEE during the NGS could increase by up to 103% by the end of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Our results thus reinforce the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of peatlands as evolving sources of atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> in a warming world.</p>


1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 1843-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
P G Comeau ◽  
F Gendron ◽  
T Letchford

In 1996 we initiated a study to evaluate several techniques for measuring light under broadleaf canopies. Hourly average photosynthetic photon flux density and percent transmittance were measured 1 m above the ground at four points in each of three canopy densities created by a spacing experiment in a 35-year-old paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) dominated stand located near Prince George, B.C. At each point, fisheye photographs were taken and LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer (LAI-2000), spherical densiometer, and competition index (Lorimer's index) measurements were made. Percent transmittance measurements on an overcast day (1-h average), transmittance measured over periods of 3 h or longer on a clear day, LAI-2000 diffuse noninterceptance measurements, and gap light index determined from fisheye photographs were strongly correlated with growing season percent transmittance (r2>= 0.96) as was competition index (r2 = 0.928). Concave spherical densiometer measurements and midday percent transmittance measurements on clear days were also well correlated with measured percent transmittance (r2>= 0.89). Estimates of understory light by the LITE model were strongly correlated with growing season percent transmittance. Correlations improved with increasing length of the period simulated (r2 = 0.755 for a point measurement on a clear day; r2 = 0.936 for an entire sunny day; and, r2 = 0.953 for the entire growing season). However, this version of the model underestimated percent transmittance in these spaced birch stands by 34-90%.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 344
Author(s):  
Md Momtazur Rahman ◽  
Mikhail Vasiliev ◽  
Kamal Alameh

Manipulation of the LED illumination spectrum can enhance plant growth rate and development in grow tents. We report on the identification of the illumination spectrum required to significantly enhance the growth rate of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants in grow tent environments by controlling the LED wavebands illuminating the plants. Since the optimal illumination spectrum depends on the plant type, this work focuses on identifying the illumination spectrum that achieves significant basil biomass improvement compared to improvements reported in prior studies. To be able to optimize the illumination spectrum, several steps must be achieved, namely, understanding plant biology, conducting several trial-and-error experiments, iteratively refining experimental conditions, and undertaking accurate statistical analyses. In this study, basil plants are grown in three grow tents with three LED illumination treatments, namely, only white LED illumination (denoted W*), the combination of red (R) and blue (B) LED illumination (denoted BR*) (relative red (R) and blue (B) intensities are 84% and 16%, respectively) and a combination of red (R), blue (B) and far-red (F) LED illumination (denoted BRF*) (relative red (R), blue (B) and far-red (F) intensities are 79%, 11%, and 10%, respectively). The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was set at 155 µmol m−2 s−1 for all illumination treatments, and the photoperiod was 20 h per day. Experimental results show that a combination of blue (B), red (R), and far-red (F) LED illumination leads to a one-fold increase in the yield of a sweet basil plant in comparison with only white LED illumination (W*). On the other hand, the use of blue (B) and red (R) LED illumination results in a half-fold increase in plant yield. Understanding the effects of LED illumination spectrum on the growth of plant sweet basil plants through basic horticulture research enables farmers to significantly improve their production yield, thus food security and profitability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
Shuo Zhao ◽  
Pengli Li ◽  
Yilu Yin ◽  
Qingliang Niu ◽  
...  

AbstractIn plants, alternative splicing (AS) is markedly induced in response to environmental stresses, but it is unclear why plants generate multiple transcripts under stress conditions. In this study, RNA-seq was performed to identify AS events in cucumber seedlings grown under different light intensities. We identified a novel transcript of the gibberellin (GA)-deactivating enzyme Gibberellin 2-beta-dioxygenase 8 (CsGA2ox8). Compared with canonical CsGA2ox8.1, the CsGA2ox8.2 isoform presented intron retention between the second and third exons. Functional analysis proved that the transcript of CsGA2ox8.1 but not CsGA2ox8.2 played a role in the deactivation of bioactive GAs. Moreover, expression analysis demonstrated that both transcripts were upregulated by increased light intensity, but the expression level of CsGA2ox8.1 increased slowly when the light intensity was >400 µmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density), while the CsGA2ox8.2 transcript levels increased rapidly when the light intensity was >200 µmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. Our findings provide evidence that plants might finely tune their GA levels by buffering against the normal transcripts of CsGA2ox8 through AS.


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