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4.6.4: Methods to Describe Canopy Development

  • Page ID
    44380
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    Every year the weather is different causing the rate of crop growth to vary even for the same planting date. Methods are needed to ensure that the predicted rate of canopy development is accurate. The elapsed time (days) since planting and the cumulative growing degree days (sometimes called heat units) since planting are often used as the basis to estimate crop growth. The elapsed time since planting is easier to use; however, some of the annual variation of canopy development can be accounted for using growing degree days. The definition for growing degree days is:

    \(GDD_n = \sum_{i}^{n} (T_i - T_{base})\) (4.15)

    where: \(GDD_n\) = cumulative growing degree days on the nth day after planting,

    \(n\) = total number of days since planting,

    \(T_i\) = average air temperature [0.5 × (\(T_{high}\) + \(T_{low}\))] on day \(i\), (°F),

    \(T_{base}\) = base temperature at which crop photosynthesis and growth begins,

    \(T_{high}\) = the smaller of the maximum temperature and \(T_{max}\) and 86°F, and

    \(T_{low}\) = the larger of the minimum temperature and \(T_{base}\)

    The base temperature depends on the crop species. The base temperature for warm weather crops such as corn is typically 50°F, while 40°F is commonly used for cool season crops such as wheat and barley. Because of local variations, the base temperature for specific crops at a location should be determined from regional information.

    Growing degree days can be used to determine the fraction of the growing season for computing the crop coefficient:

    \(F_r = \frac{GDD_i}{GDD_m}\) (4.16)

    where: GDDn = the cumulative growing degree days from planting to day n and

    GDDm = the cumulative growing degree days needed to reach maturity.


    4.6.4: Methods to Describe Canopy Development is shared under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.