A research on Non-Destructive Leaf Area Estimation Modeling for some Apple Cultivars

Abstract

Accurate and non-destructive methods to determine the plant leaf area are important measurements used in physiological and agronomic studies. This study was aimed to develop the best estimation model in 2017 to determine leaf area in some apple varieties of 'Summerred', 'Mondial Gala', 'Golden Delicious' and 'Braeburn' by using leaf length (L), width (W) and combination of the two parameters. Sixteen different models composed of linear and power were obtained. High coefficient of determination denoted R-2 and low mean square error (MSE) values were used to determine the best models to estimate. Accordingly, combinations of L x W parameters for 'Summer Red' and 'Mondial Gala' varieties and L x W-2 for 'Golden Delicious' and 'Braeburn' varieties were determined as the efficient parameters in estimation of plant leaf area. The results revealed that the plant leaf area can be estimated in an inexpensive, fast and non-destructive manner by mathematical relationships obtained with high R-2 ('Summer Red': 97.9%; 'Mondial Gala': 99.1%; 'Golden Delicious': 98.6%; 'Braeburn': 95.1%) and low MSE ('Summer Red': 8.48; 'Mondial Gala': 1.594; 'Golden Delicious': 0.005; 'Braeburn': 0.013) values using leaf dimensions of each variety rather than expensive measurement instruments.