Non-destructive estimation of the leaf area in Nuphar lutea L. (Nymphaeaceae)

Abstract

Nuphar lutea (L.) Smith (Nymphaeaceae) is a widespread hydrophyte with leaves floating on the water. This highly productive plant forms a fairly large assimilating (photosynthesizing) surface. The purpose of this work was to develop a method for calculating the surface area of assimilating leaves of N. lutea. As a result, the formulas for calculating the surface area of a leaf (main photosynthetic organ of N. lutea) were obtained. The area formulas for the blade and petiole are based on the area formulas for geometrical figures and allow us to calculate the assimilating surface area of the yellow water-lily as precisely as possible. Therefore, the data obtained provide a better picture of this species productivity and will allow further to estimate the contribution of this species to the overall productivity of water bodies and watercourses