title: Connecting Biochemical Photosynthesis Models with Crop Models to Support Crop Improvement.
abstract: The next advance in field crop productivity will likely need to come from improving crop use efficiency of resources (e.g., light, water, and nitrogen), aspects of which are closely linked with overall crop photosynthetic efficiency. Progress in genetic manipulation of photosynthesis is confounded by uncertainties of consequences at crop level because of difficulties connecting across scales. Crop growth and development simulation models that integrate across biological levels of organization and use a gene-to-phenotype modeling approach may present a way forward. There has been a long history of development of crop models capable of simulating dynamics of crop physiological attributes. Many crop models incorporate canopy photosynthesis (source) as a key driver for crop growth, while others derive crop growth from the balance between source- and sink-limitations. Modeling leaf photosynthesis has progressed from empirical modeling via light response curves to a more mechanistic basis, having clearer links to the underlying biochemical processes of photosynthesis. Cross-scale modeling that connects models at the biochemical and crop levels and utilizes developments in upscaling leaf-level models to canopy models has the potential to bridge the gap between photosynthetic manipulation at the biochemical level and its consequences on crop productivity. Here we review approaches to this emerging cross-scale modeling framework and reinforce the need for connections across levels of modeling. Further, we propose strategies for connecting biochemical models of photosynthesis into the cross-scale modeling framework to support crop improvement through photosynthetic manipulation.
authors: Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors: Alex
authors: A
authors: Wu
authors: Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors: Youhong
authors: Y
authors: Song
authors: Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors: Erik J
authors: EJ
authors: van Oosterom
authors: Centre for Plant Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia.
authors: Graeme L
authors: GL
authors: Hammer
keywords: RUE; biochemical photosynthesis model; canopy photosynthesis; crop improvement; crop model; cross-scale modeling; photosynthesis light response; specific leaf nitrogen