Experimental results of salinity effects on cucumber (Cucumis sativus, Cucurbitaceae) can be interpreted with the help of a functional-structural plant (FSP) model. Chen et al. use this novel approach to quantify different salinity effects on canopy photosynthesis and discover interactions between plant architecture, stomatal regulation and light conditions.
Salinity effects on plant architecture and photosynthetic functions of leaves reduce canopy photosynthesis significantly but the magnitudes of these effects depend on instantaneous light condition. High light enhances functional limitation of canopy photosynthesis through the ionic effects on stomatal regulation.
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.