Cluster 3 - Crop physiological processes

We develop and improve crop models by improving the representation of selected physiological processes to better characterize plant-environment relationships. The main focus of this cluster is on root and shoot growth, and root:shoot interactions under different nutrient applications, soil types, and soil moisture conditions for a wide range of crop species and cropping systems (conventional and diversified cropping systems). Another focus is on further improving the understanding of stomatal functions and gas fluxes exchange (photosynthesis and transpiration) as well as long-term structural changes of the canopy for cultivars of different crops such as wheat and maize in responses to drought and elevated ozone. Improved representation and calibration of leaf photosynthesis, leaf and root traits, and sink:source relationships will be considered in various modelling subroutines and advance the root:shoot model that can be used at different scales and for different cropping systems.