GrapevineXL: a model coupling plant water transport and leaf gas exchange

Quantifying the response of plant water status to environmental conditions and its effect on carbon acquisition are essential for simulating plant growth and fruit composition, especially in the context of climate change. Zhu et al. present GrapevineXL, a functional-structural grapevine model that couples the dynamics of water transport from soil to leaf with gas exchange at individual leaf level.

Illustration of the simulated percentage of absorbed radiation (A), net photosynthesis (B), stomatal conductance (C) and leaf water potential of each leaf (D). The environmental conditions for the simulation were set as: T_a 25 °C, CO₂ 400 ppm, $ψ_{s o i l}$ −0.3 MPa, R_a 2000 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (PAR 1100 µmol m⁻²s⁻¹), *VPD* 1 kPa.

The robust performance of this model makes it ideal for modelling climate effects on crops with complex, non-homogenous canopies and for studying plant water use behaviours. It also provides the basis for future modelling efforts elucidating the physiology and growth of individual organs in relation to water status.

This paper is part of the Annals of Botany Special Issue on Functional-Structural Plant Growth Modelling. It will be free access until June 2018, then available only to subscribers until April 2019 when it will be free access again.