COURSES

-> About this Resource
Scope *______
Map *____

-> Preliminary Courses
Contents & Objectives *__________________
Map *____
-> Botany
Contents & Objectives *__________________
Map *____
-> Axis Typology Patterns
Typology basis *___________
Pictograms *_________
Sexuality & development *___________________
Growth *______
Branching rhythms *______________
Branching delays *_____________
Branching positional *________________
Branching arrangement *__________________
Axis orientation *_____________
Architectural models *________________
-> Architectural Unit
About Arc. Models *______________
Models limitations *______________
Architectural Units *______________
Reiteration *_________
Sequence of development *___________________
Morphogenetic gradients *___________________
Physiological age *_____________
-> An Example
Wild Cherry (young) *_______________
Wild Cherry (adult) *______________
Wild Cherry (mature) *________________
Quiz *____
Case study Quiz *_____________
Supplementary resources *____________________

-> Eco-Physiology
Contents & Objectives *__________________
Map *____
-> Growth Factors
Factors affecting Growth *___________________
Endogenous Processes *_________________
Environmental Factors *_________________
Thermal Time *___________
-> Light interaction
P.A.R. *_____
Light absorption *_____________
Photosynthesis *___________
Respiration *_________
Maintenance respiration *__________________
L.U.E. Model *__________
Density effect *___________
Density effect on crop *__________________
-> Biomass
Biomass Pool *__________
Biomass Partitioning *_______________
Crop models *__________
A Crop model example *__________________
Quiz *____
Supplementary resources *___________________

-> Applied Mathematics
Contents & Objectives *__________________
Map *____
-> Probabilities
Section contents *____________
Discrete Random Variable *___________________
Expected value, Variance *___________________
Properties *________
-> Useful Laws
Bernoulli Trials *___________
Binomial Law *__________
Geometric Law *____________
Negative Binomial Law *_________________
-> Dynamic systems
Section contents *_____________
Useful functions *____________
Beta density *__________
Exercises *________
Negative Exponential *________________
Systems functions *______________
Discrete dynamic systems *___________________
Parameter Identification *__________________
Parameter estimation *________________
Supplementary Resources *____________________


-> GreenLab courses
GreenLab presentation *__________________
-> Overview
Presentation & Objectives *____________________
Map *____
Growth and components *___________________
Plant architecture *_______________
Biomass production *________________
Modelling - FSPM *______________
GreenLab principles *________________
Applications *__________
Supplementary resources *_____________________
-> Principles
Presentation & Objectives *____________________
Map *____
-> About modelling
Scientific disciplines *________________
Organs: tree components *___________________
Factors affecting growth *___________________
Model-simulation workflow *____________________
GreenLab inherits from *__________________
GreenLab positioning *_________________
The growth cycle *______________
Inside the growth cycle *___________________
Implementations *______________
Supplementary resources *____________________
-> Development
Presentation & Objectives *____________________
Map *____
Modelling Scheme *______________
Tree traversal modes *________________
-> Stochastic modelling
Principles *_______
-> Development
Growth Rhythm *____________
Damped growth *____________
Viability *______
Rhythmic axis *___________
Branching *________
Stochastic automaton *_________________
-> Organogenesis equations
Principles *_______
Organ cohorts *___________
Organ numbering *_____________
Substructure factorization *____________________
Stochastic case *____________
-> Structure construction
Construction modes *_______________
Construction basis *______________
Axis of development *________________
Stochastic reconstruction *___________________
Implicit construction *________________
Explicit construction *________________
3D construction *____________
Supplementary resources *____________________
-> Production-Expansion
Presentation & Objectives *____________________
Map *____
-> EcoPhysiology reminders
Relevant concepts *______________
Temperature *__________
Light interception *______________
Photosynthesis *___________
Biomass common pool *_________________
Density *______
-> Principals
Growth cycle *__________
Refining PbMs *___________
Organ cohorts *___________
GreenLab vs PbM & FSPM *___________________
-> GreenLab's equations
Summary *_______
Production equation *_______________
Plant demand *__________
Organ dimensions *______________
A dynamic system view *__________________
Equation terms *____________
Full Model *________
Model behaviour *______________
Supplementary resources *____________________
-> Applications
Presentation & Objectives *____________________
Map *____
-> Measurements
Agronomic traits *_____________
Mesurable/hidden param. *___________________
Fitting procedure *______________
-> Fitting structure
Principles *_______
-> Development
Simple development *_______________
Damped growth *____________
Rhythmic growth *_____________
Rhythmic growth samples *___________________
Mortality *_______
Branching *________
-> Crown analysis
Analysis principles *______________
Equations *________
Example / Exercise *_______________
-> Case study
Plant Architecture *______________
Development simulation *__________________
Introducing Biomass *_______________
Biomass partitioning *_______________
Equilibrium state *_____________
Supplementary resources *____________________

-> Tools (software)
Presentation & Objectives *_____________________
Map *____
Fitting, Stats *___________
Simulation *_________
Online tools *__________

Preliminary Course.

Plant and crop Models

Plant and Crop model typology


Descriptive Versus Causal Models
    In climate and fertilization control, forestry, plant and crop production studies, etc. , two types of models are widely used: descriptive ones, and explanatory ones.

      Descriptive models

      • These are built using various approaches: black box, regression, statistical, empirical, etc.

      • They try to build direct relations between input and output. They reflect few or none of the mechanisms that cause the behaviour of the system.


      • Example.

        An experiment carried out on young tomato plants after 40 days of growth at Wageningen University in a climate chamber.
        In the following table, the respective columns stand for average daily temperature, average nightly temperature and plant height.

          Tday (°C) Tnight (°C) Plant height (cm)
          26 16 52
          24 18 50
          22 20 34
          20 22 35
          18 24 28
          16 26 23
          18 18 18
          24 24 54
          24 12 39

          A statistical model can be defined from these data:
             Height = 36.3 + 4.48 * (Tday-21) + 1.37 * (Tnight-21)


      Explanatory (causal) models

      • These are based on physiological, mechanistic or structural concepts.

      • They define quantitative descriptions of the underlying mechanisms and processes.

      • They contain sub-models at least one hierarchical level deeper than the response to be described. At the lowest hierarchical level, sub-models in an explanatory model are descriptive and the model's ability to explain is limited by its number of hierarchical levels.


      • An example of a mechanistic model.

          A mechanistic model scheme
          A mechanistic crop model scheme described according to Foresster diagrams.
                The arrows show information pathways while processes are represented in blue containers.
                In the light blue rectangle, the biomass pool fed by the leaf area and allocated to the plant organs (in green).       (Chart courtesy of E. Heuvelink, WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY)