ArchiCrop: a 3D+t architectural model driven by crop model dynamics

Evolving agricultural practices and contexts invite to reconsider the way crop and plant models represent agroecosystem processes. Crop models assume spatial homogeneity, which reduces confidence in their predictions for structurally heterogeneous systems, whereas FSPMs complexity limits their application to field-scale or large-scale studies. To benefit from strengths of both approaches, we introduce ArchiCrop, a parametric 3D architectural model of cereals that generates plant geometries constrained by crop model dynamics and coordination rules. Inspired by the concept of equifinality, ArchiCrop generates a morphospace of architecturally diverse morphotypes which remain equivalent at crop scale in terms of LAI and height. This multiscale approach enables the comparison of processes computed at different scales on wheat, rice, maize and sorghum. We demonstrate its application evaluating light interception Beers formalism in STICS soil-crop model relying on the leaf-resolved radiosity model Caribu for the 3D reference simulations, for a sorghum monocrop. We show that the consideration of the variability of only two plant architectural traits, leaf insertion angle and leaf number, introduces up to 27% of uncertainty in the cumulated absorbed light at the end of the season. A possible outcome from this method is also the definition of metamodels for crop model processes, as exemplified for extinction coefficient of Beers law. ArchiCrop can support a range of applications, including crop model uncertainty analysis, model-assisted phenotyping, and ideotype design. HighlightsO_LIArchiCrop is the first 3D+t botany-based parametric generative model for cereals. C_LIO_LIArchiCrop downscales crop model dynamics to 3D+t architecture canopies efficiently. C_LIO_LIArchiCrop compares big leaf versus leaf-resolved light interception. C_LIO_LIPlant architectures with same leaf area intercept light with up to 27% variability. C_LIO_LIArchiCrop helps ideotyping, crop model evaluation and error propagation analysis. C_LI Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=105 SRC="FIGDIR/small/716970v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (28K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18d2783org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d49daorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dba711org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b58907_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG