Non–destructive estimation of the leaf-area per plant in bioenergetics sorghum

Abstract

In this work a non-destructive method to estimate the leaf-area per plant of two commercial hybrids of bioenergetics sorghum is adjusted. During the crop cycle 03 plants of Argensil Bio 165 and at 151 hybrids of Padrillo the height to the ring of leaf +1 and the number of green ligulate leaves per plant was measured from, and also determined the individual leaf surface of all green leaves. The observed leaf-area per plant was the result of the sum of the individual leaf surface from the total of green ligulate leaves per plant. The data of the leaf-area observed per plant in function of the multiplication of the height to the ring of the leaf +1 by the number of green ligulate leaves per plant were analyzed by regression to determine the best adjustment equation for each hybrid. Specific regression models are presented to estimate the leaf-area per plant during the different phenological stages of two commercial hybrids of sweet sorghum with bioenergetics potential by means of a non-destructive, simple and accurate methodology. The specific equations selected for each hybrid were; Padrillo: y = 7,488 x 0,822 , (R2: 0,959); Argensil: y = 6835,971/(1+(x/1084,373) -1,113, (R2:0,957).