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Evaluating a three dimensional model of diffuse photosynthetically active radiation in maize canopies

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Abstract

Diffuse photosynthetically active radiation (DPAR) is important during overcast days and for plant parts shaded from the direct beam radiation. Simulation of DPAR interception by individual plant parts of a canopy, separately from direct beam photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), may give important insights into plant ecology. This paper presents a model to simulate the interception of DPAR in plant canopies. A sub-model of a virtual maize canopy was reconstructed. Plant surfaces were represented as small triangular facets positioned according to three-dimensionally (3D) digitized data collected in the field. Then a second sub-model to simulate the 3D DPAR distribution in the canopy was developed by dividing the sky hemisphere into a grid of fine cells that allowed for the anisotropic distribution of DPAR over the sky hemisphere. This model, DSHP (Dividing Sky Hemisphere with Projecting), simulates which DSH (Divided Sky Hemisphere) cells are directly visible from a facet in the virtual canopy, i.e. not obscured by other facets. The DPAR reaching the center of a facet was calculated by summing the amounts of DPAR present in every DSH cell. The distribution of DPAR in a canopy was obtained from the calculated DPARs intercepted by all facets in the canopy. This DSHP model was validated against DPAR measurements made in an actual maize (Zea mays L.) canopy over selected days during the early filling stage. The simulated and measured DPAR at different canopy depths showed a good agreement with a R 2 equaling 0.78 (n=120).

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Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by “863” Hi-Tech Research & Development Program of China (2003AA209020) and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT0412). We are grateful to Drs Peter Room, Sean McGinn, Tusheng Ren and Albert Weiss for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Thanks also to Zhicai Zhang, Meiping Wen and Guanglun Sheng for their assistance in field measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interaction, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, People’s Republic of China

    Xiping Wang, Yan Guo, Baoguo Li & Yuntao Ma

  2. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050016, People’s Republic of China

    Xiping Wang

  3. Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Xiyong Wang

Authors
  1. Xiping Wang
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  2. Yan Guo
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  3. Baoguo Li
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  4. Xiyong Wang
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  5. Yuntao Ma
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Correspondence to Baoguo Li.

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Wang, X., Guo, Y., Li, B. et al. Evaluating a three dimensional model of diffuse photosynthetically active radiation in maize canopies. Int J Biometeorol 50, 349–357 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-006-0032-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-006-0032-0

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