A MODEL FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIPLE SHOOTS GROWING IN A ROSE CROP CANOPY

The main objective of this project was to develop a crop simulation model for greenhouse cut flower roses. An intermediate step towards the completion of that objective is the building of a model for the growth and development of a collection of shoots of various ages throughout the canopy. The canopy is represented as ten 20 cm thick layers. The shoot and leaves (age and location) are tracked as they grow into and through these layers using a model developed previously. Leaf area (LA) and leaf area index (LAI) for each layer is computed. A light distribution submodel, based on cumulative LAI, estimates the amount of radiation intercepted by each leaf. It is assumed that multiple shoots originating the same day from the same layer are identical. The model also simulates the effect of harvest of the shoots in the canopy. Currently, work is proceeding on data collection for prediction of carbohydrate partitioning within the canopy. Future work will focus on model validation.