PlaNet-Maize

Carbon, water and nitrogen flows are tighly linked together in the plant. A change in one of the processes will automatically influence the others.

In order to be able to approach interactions from a quantitative point of view, we created a web interface for a plant growth model, PlaNet-Maize. PlaNet-Maize is a so-called structure-function model. The model explicitly simulates the growth of the plant in space and time (4D), as well as its interactions with the environment. The different input variables of the model are identical to the concepts seen in the course. It allows to visualize, in a numerical way, what are the effects of a stress on the growth of the plant.

We ask you to run the model, through the web interface, tu quantitativelly observe how the different processes interact with each others.

Water stress

  • What happens if you stop watering the plant when it starts to germinate?
  • What happens to the photosynthesis of the plant?
  • What happens if this stress is applied after 40 hours of growth? Explain the differences with early stress.

Light stress

  • What happens when a plant is placed in a less bright environment (from 500 PAR to 100 PAR)?
  • What happens at the plant’s water intake?
  • What happens if this light stress is combined with water stress applied after 40 hours of growth? Explain the differences with a single stress (water or light).

Nitrogen stress

  • What happens when a plant is placed in a less nitrogen-rich environment (from 0.05 mmol to 0.01 mmol)?
  • What happens to its photosynthesis?
  • What happens if this nitrogen stress is combined with water stress applied after 40 hours of growth? Explain the differences with a single stress (hydric or nitrogenous).

A modeling approach to determine the importance of dynamic regulation of plant hydraulic conductivities on the water uptake dynamics in the soil-plant-atmosphere system.
Lobet G, Pagès L, Draye X.

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