Modeling and analyzing the influence of blade shape on rice canopy structure

Because the outlook of modern rice cultivars towards ideotype are very similar, it is necessary to develop tools to distinguish their structures and consequences on plant functioning. In this study, leaf shapes and sizes were observed, measured and analyzed for ten rice cultivars among the most productive in Zhejiang province, China. The blade shapes were found quiet consistent in terms of normalized width vs. length profile although the blade sizes varied among cultivars. The three dimensional structure models were constructed based on several “Ideotype” specifications and the real data of blade sizes. The vertical profiles of leaf area according to plant height were calculated, on which there were two peaks and one valley for all the cultivars. The normalized profile curves were found stable among all the cultivars. In future, we will be able to quantify the influence of the blade shapes on rice functioning, after simulating canopy light interception and potential photosynthesis based on the structural models.