A simple method for non-destructive estimation of total shoot leaf area in tree fruit crops

作者：Spann Timothy M^*; Heerema Richard J

来源：Scientia Horticulturae, 2010, 125(3): 528-533.

DOI：10.1016/j.scienta.2010.04.033

• Citrus
• Almond
• Pecan
• Pistachio
• Olive
• Walnut
• Asian pear

Leaf area is a commonly used measurement in many horticultural research experiments, but is generally destructive, requiring leaves to be removed for measurement. Leaf removal precludes repeated measures and disrupts carbohydrate assimilation and translocation, which is another frequent parameter of interest. Numerous methods have been devised for estimating leaf area of individual leaves in situ. These methods generally involve measuring leaf parameters such as length and width and using those as variables in an equation describing a relationship between those variables and leaf area specifically developed for each species. However, these methods are typically highly labor intensive when scaling to the level of the shoot because they require each leaf to be measured individually. Here we report on a method that makes use of a regression relationship for non-destructively estimating whole shoot leaf area, but only involves measuring the length of the longest leaf on the shoot and multiplying it by the number of leaves on the shoot. The method has been tested on 14 diverse fruit and nut tree cultivars. Deciduous and evergreen species with both simple and compound leaves were included. For 13 out of 14 cultivars, coefficients of determination (r(2)) between actual measured leaf area and estimated leaf area were equal to or greater than 0.80. The model was validated for shoot leaf area of different trees in different years for four of the cultivars. The relationship developed for these cultivars appears to be broadly applicable to other tree species and will be a simple and useful tool for research requiring accurate non-destructive estimates of shoot leaf area.

• 出版日期2010-6-28