Abstract
A sigmoid curve with three fitting parameters is proposed as a descriptive model for the spatial velocity field in one-dimensional growth of plant organs. Analytic expressions are derived for the relative elemental growth (REG) rate, the position and value of the REG rate maximum, the length of the growth zone, the inverse of the growth trajectory and cell length in the “elongation only” zone. The expressions are fit to published data to characterize the effects of environmental variation on growth of monocotyledonous roots. The simple expressions for growth may prove useful in mechanistic models. The fitted curves summarize more than a decade of observations and thus provide a challenge to theorists.
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Morris, A.K., Silk, W.K. Use of a flexible logistic function to describe axial growth of plants. Bltn Mathcal Biology 54, 1069–1081 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460667
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02460667