A Review on Leaf Area Index of Horticulture Crops and Its Importance

Leaves represent the largest quantity of the total canopy surface and also the main surface for physiologically active interchange with the atmosphere. Processes like photosynthetic light absorption, carbon uptake and assimilation, transpiration of water and emission of volatile organic compounds are nearly exclusively performed via leaf surfaces, while processes like element deposition, interception of rain, evaporation and susceptibility to wind damage are in part also dependent on the surface area of woody canopy elements. Fruit production and quality depend on adequate source-sink relationships. Carbohydrates (CH) translocated from leaves or reserve organs are the most important for the growth and development of sink organs (mainly fruits). Leaf Area Index (LAI) measures the amount of leaf quantifiable in an ecosystem, which imposes important controls on photosynthesis, respiration, rain interception and other processes that link vegetation to environment.