Articles
A KIWIFRUIT CROP SIMULATION MODEL BASED ON THE BUD AS REPRODUCTIVE UNIT
Article number
276_26
Pages
239 – 246
Language
Abstract
Kiwifruit bears crops on the current season’s shoots originating from buds developed in leaf axils of 1-year-old canes.
All these buds are potentially reproductive, except flatish buds that are borne at the base of the shoot.
Because of this very simple behaviour, a mathematical model of cropping based on the bud as reproductive unit can be built.
The core of the model are three rate variables, the percentage of fruitful buds, the number of fruits per fruitful shoot and the mean fruit mass, which modulate the effect of a number of state variables of the orchard design and pruning technique on the crop yield per surface unit.
All these buds are potentially reproductive, except flatish buds that are borne at the base of the shoot.
Because of this very simple behaviour, a mathematical model of cropping based on the bud as reproductive unit can be built.
The core of the model are three rate variables, the percentage of fruitful buds, the number of fruits per fruitful shoot and the mean fruit mass, which modulate the effect of a number of state variables of the orchard design and pruning technique on the crop yield per surface unit.
The effect of the variables related to the orchard design (plant density, male to female ratio, training system) and the pruning technique (cane length, density and orientation) on the rate variables is defined through empirical functions drawn from experimental data.
An easy-to-read BASIC program produces the following output: (a) calculation of the most suitable level of one to all the input variables in order to achieve the best crop performance (maximum yield or maximum yield for a mean fruit mass not lower than a fixed value); (b) crop response, step by step, to variations in 1 input variable, the remaining ones being fixed at given values.
Publication
Authors
R. Testolin, G. Costa
Keywords
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