Abstract
Leaf area measurements are of great value in physiological and agronomic studies. Leaf area is important for plant light interception, growth analysis, photosynthesis, leaf area index estimation among others. This study focused on estimating the leaf of Irvingia gabonensis using a linear (non-destructive) measurement. A total of 90 leaves were selected randomly from nursery and field which represented different leaf sizes ranging from small (3 cm width), medium (5 cm width) and large (7 cm width). The lamina length (L) and lamina width (W) were measured with a ruler, while the leaf area (LA) were measured using a software model WinRHizo PRO2005, installed on computer system with an attached scanning machine. The best fit model was selected based on F test and coefficient of determination R2. Correlation of all parameters is significant at 1% level. Product of square length and width [(LW)2] correlated best with leaf area having a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.99. Quadratic and linear regression of the data produced thirteen leaf area models. The best five models were derived from single dimensional measurement product and sum of length and width of either lamina length or width. The five top models were recommended for leaf area estimation of Irvingia gabonensis but for ease of application, model 13 (Y = 0.2309x2- 2.5694x + 67.268: R2 = 99%) was preferred for its simplicity. The models developed and recommended in this study can be adopted for rapid and accurate estimation of adaxial leaf area of I. gabonensis under field conditions.
Highlights
Leaf area is an important variable for most ecophysiological studies in terrestrial ecosystems concerning light interception, evapotranspiration, photosynthetic efficiency, fertilizers, and irrigation response and plant growth (Blanco & Folegatti, 2005)
It is useful in the analysis of canopy architecture as it allows for the determination of leaf area index, which is important for light interception, radiation use efficiency, plant growth among others
The results showed that there is a strong significant relationship between leaf area and all the parameters studied at 1% level (Table 1)
Summary
Leaf area is an important variable for most ecophysiological studies in terrestrial ecosystems concerning light interception, evapotranspiration, photosynthetic efficiency, fertilizers, and irrigation response and plant growth (Blanco & Folegatti, 2005). Leaf area production is essential for energy transference and dry matter accumulation processes in crop canopies It is useful in the analysis of canopy architecture as it allows for the determination of leaf area index, which is important for light interception, radiation use efficiency, plant growth among others. These instruments are prone to large errors as a result of incorrect use that may lead to inconclusive results (de Jesus, Dovale, Coelho, & Costa, 2001) These problems have been recognized by many researchers, who have developed less expensive and/or alternative, indirect methods (Ma, Gardner, & Selamat, 1992). In non-destructive methods, leaf area is usually estimated by measuring the number, width or length of plant parts or whole plant. This justified the need for the development of leaf factors for non-destructive leaf area measurement of the plant
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