Plant Growth Modelling and Applications: The Increasing Importance of Plant Architecture in Growth Models

Background Modelling plant growth allows us to test hypotheses and carry out virtual experiments concerning plant growth processes that could otherwise take years in field conditions. The visualization of growth simulations allows us to see directly and vividly the outcome of a given model and provides us with an instructive tool useful for agronomists and foresters, as well as for teaching. Functional-structural (FS) plant growth models are nowadays particularly important for integrating biological processes with environmental conditions in 3-D virtual plants, and provide the basis for more advanced research in plant sciences. Scope In this viewpoint paper, we ask the following questions. Are we modelling the correct processes that drive plant growth, and is growth driven mostly by sink or source activity? In current models, is the importance of soil resources (nutrients, water, temperature and their interaction with meristematic activity) considered adequately? Do classic models account for architectural adjustment as well as integrating the fundamental principles of development? Whilst answering these questions with the available data in the literature, we put forward the opinion that plant architecture and sink activity must be pushed to the centre of plant growth models. In natural conditions, sinks will more often drive growth than source activity, because sink activity is often controlled by finite soil resources or developmental constraints. PMA06 This viewpoint paper also serves as an introduction to this Special Issue devoted to plant growth modelling, which includes new research covering areas stretching from cell growth to biomechanics. All papers were presented at the Second International Symposium on Plant Growth Modeling, Simulation, Visualization and Applications (PMA06), held in Beijing, China, from 13-17 November, 2006. Although a large number of papers are devoted to FS models of agricultural and forest crop species, physiological and genetic processes have recently been included and point the way to a new direction in plant modelling researc

Artificial Life of Soybean Plant Growth Modeling Using Intelligence Approaches

The natural process on plant growth system has a complex system and it has could be developed on characteristic studied using intelligent approaches conducting with artificial life system. The approaches on examining the natural process on soybean (Glycine Max L.Merr) plant growth have been analyzed and synthesized in these research through modeling using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Lindenmayer System (L-System) methods. Research aimed to design and to visualize plant growth modeling on the soybean varieties which these could help for studying botany of plant based on fertilizer compositions on plant growth with Nitrogen (N), Phosphor (P) and Potassium (K). The soybean plant growth has been analyzed based on the treatments of plant fertilizer compositions in the experimental research to develop plant growth modeling. By using N, P, K fertilizer compositions, its capable result on the highest production 2.074 tons/hectares. Using these models, the simulation on artificial life for describing identification and visualization on the characteristic of soybean plant growth could be demonstrated and applied

Visualization of Tomato Growth Based on Dry Matter Flow

The visualization of tomato growth can be used in 3D computer games and virtual gardens. Based on the growth theory involving the respiration theory, the photosynthesis, and dry matter partition, a visual system is developed. The tomato growth visual simulation system is light-and-temperature-dependent and shows plausible visual effects in consideration of the continuous growth, texture map, gravity influence, and collision detection. In addition, the virtual tomato plant information, such as the plant height, leaf area index, fruit weight, and dry matter, can be updated and output in real time

PLANT GROWTH MODELING USING L-SYSTEM APPROACH AND ITS VISUALIZATION

The visualizationof plant growth modeling using computer simulation has rarely been conducted with Lindenmayer System (L-System) approach. L-System generally has been used as framework for improving and designing realistic modeling on plant growth. It is one kind of tools for representing plant growth based on grammar sintax and mathematic formulation. This research aimed to design modeling and visualizing plant growth structure generated using L-System. The environment on modeling design used three dimension graphic on standart OpenGL format. The visualization on system design has been developed by some of L-System grammar, and the output graphic on three dimension reflected on plant growth as a virtual plant growth system. Using some of samples on grammar L-System rules for describing of the charaterictics of plant growth, the visualization of structure on plant growth has been resulted and demonstrated.Keywords: L-System, modeling, openGL, virtual plant growth, visualizatio

Hybrid genetic L-system method for representing identification of plant growth visualization

Application of Genetic Programming and L-System method for the development of parallel rewrite systems (L-Systems, Lindenmayer Systems) is used to describe the structure of the model plant. With the help of L-System method that aims to describe the formation of formal data structures representing rewritung rules. Hybrid Genetic L-System Method is using a combination of two methods to simulate the formation of structures in accordance with the characteristics of plants and identify plant growth. Control of formal data structures are complex exemplified by the development of plant structures generated by the visualization of 3D motion graphic

Expert System for Identification of Red Pepper Plant (Capsicum Annum L.)

Identification of plant disease is an important step to decide how it will control. This paper discusses the design and development of an expert system for identification of 12 general diseases of red pepper plant (Capsicum annum L.). Disease identification in this software system was based on the visual symptom of disease(s) in various plant growth stages, similar to the standard rules in plant protection science. The prototype of this software system was implemented by EXSYS Professional for Microsoft Windows (WINEXSYS) version 5.0 and worked under Windows '95 operation system. This software system is user-friendly and equipped by image-visualization that describe disease symptoms

Tessellations and Pattern Formation in Plant Growth and Development

The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a dome-shaped collection of cells at the apex of growing plants from which all above-ground tissue ultimately derives. In Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), a small flowering weed of the Brassicaceae family (related to mustard and cabbage), the SAM typically contains some three to five hundred cells that range from five to ten microns in diameter. These cells are organized into several distinct zones that maintain their topological and functional relationships throughout the life of the plant. As the plant grows, organs (primordia) form on its surface flanks in a phyllotactic pattern that develop into new shoots, leaves, and flowers. Cross-sections through the meristem reveal a pattern of polygonal tessellation that is suggestive of Voronoi diagrams derived from the centroids of cellular nuclei. In this chapter we explore some of the properties of these patterns within the meristem and explore the applicability of simple, standard mathematical models of their geometry.Comment: Originally presented at: "The World is a Jigsaw: Tessellations in the Sciences," Lorentz Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, March 200