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Dynamics of canopy architecture on photosynthesis and growth in Amaranths (Amaranthus spp.)

Forschungsprojekte

Dynamics of canopy architecture on photosynthesis and growth in Amaranths (Amaranthus spp.)

Leitung:  Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stützel
E-Mail:  stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de
Team:  M.Sc. Mildred Osei-Kwarteng
Jahr:  2015
Förderung:  Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Laufzeit:  - derzeit

The availability of water for crop production is one of the major limiting factors to food production The 3-dimensional arrangement of plant components (canopy architecture; CA) influences the growth and productivity of a crop by exerting direct effect on key plant physiological processes including photosynthesis. CA influences the micro-environment for photosynthesis including, light interception, and nitrogen distribution. It is dependent on plant species, genotype and environment interactions as well as plant developmental stage. Hence to improve canopy photosynthesis will require the analyses of canopy architectural traits and explore their effects on crop productivity under specific growth conditions. Our research interest is to investigate the 3D architecture of amaranth genotypes under non limiting nutrient and water conditions; combined effects of nitrogen and irradiance, and different  planting densities. The CA traits of interest include, leaf size and shape, leaf angle, leaf azimuth orientation and internode length . A functional-structural plant model will be employed to integrate the knowledge on photosynthesis and canopy architectural variables to determine the obtainable maximum vegetative yield.