Seyyed Fazel Fazeli Kakhki; Morteza Goldani; Jafar Nabati; Nasser Beikzadeh
Abstract
The geometric shape of a plant and its components depend on the allocation of absorbed nutrients and substances to a growing organ. In turn, the overall outcome is influenced by genetics and local environmental conditions. The relationship between different components of an organ can be shown with the ...
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The geometric shape of a plant and its components depend on the allocation of absorbed nutrients and substances to a growing organ. In turn, the overall outcome is influenced by genetics and local environmental conditions. The relationship between different components of an organ can be shown with the help of allometry. To determine the effects of organic fertilizers on morphological traits and yield of basil, this research was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a Completely Randomized Design (RCD) with three replication-s under controlled conditions. Experimental factors were basil ecotypes (green and purple) and organic fertilizers (cow manure, vermicompost, sulfur granular compost, and control). Results indicated that the highest values of plant height, fresh and dry weight of lateral branches, leaf count, leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight, and plant biomass were found in green basil when vermicompost was applied. In contrast, the lowest mean values of these parameters were observed in the control. The application of vermicompost, cow manure, and sulfur granular compost caused increases of 30, 29, and 28% in the plant biomass of purple basil. Meanwhile, they caused increases of 61, 49, and 28% in the plant biomass of green basil, respectively. Also, the fitted experimental allometric relationship indicated a significant correlation between average leaf count and average leaf area (r2=0.95). Allometric relationships between root and shoot dry weight also indicated a more symmetric growth of these two parameters in green basil, compared to purple basil. Therefore, the analysis of growth relationships between plant components and production could be evaluated based on morphological components (i.e. leaf count, leaf area, and root dry weight as well as shoot dry weight), and allometric equations.
Mohammad Reza Naderi; Mohammad Bannayan; Morteza Goldani; Amin Alizadeh
Abstract
Simulation models can be used for predicting crop behavior under various environmental conditions and management practices. By prediction of crop behavior, it may be possible to adopt management practices which can maximize crop growth and yield. In this study, the VegSyst model which was introduced ...
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Simulation models can be used for predicting crop behavior under various environmental conditions and management practices. By prediction of crop behavior, it may be possible to adopt management practices which can maximize crop growth and yield. In this study, the VegSyst model which was introduced for simulation of daily crop dry weight (DW), fraction of intercepted PAR (fi-PAR), crop N uptake and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) of vegetables grown under intensively managed greenhouse conditions, was modified by attaching a component for simulation of the daily radiation use efficiency (RUE) and by introducing corrective factors for non-optimum growth conditions in order to apply it under field conditions and various management practices. The modified VegSyst model was calibrated and validated for pumpkin using growth data obtained from four years field experiments (2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014). This model very accurately simulated dry weight, fraction of intercepted PAR, radiation use efficiency, crop N uptake and crop evapotranspiration under optimum conditions for pumpkin growth (i.e. nitrogen rate of 250 kg ha-1, plant density of 2.5 plant m-2 and sowing date between 1-11 May). Under non-optimum growth conditions, model performance for simulating growth parameters of pumpkin was mostly very good or good. Suitable performance of the modified VegSyst model in simulation of DW, fi-PAR, RUE, N uptake and ETc of pumpkin under optimum and non-optimum growth conditions indicated that this model can be effectively used for studying growth of this important medicinal and forgotten crop under different management practices including nitrogen regimes, plant densities and sowing dates.
