title: Genetics-based dynamic systems model of canopy photosynthesis: the key to improve light and resource use efficiencies for crops.
abstract: Improving canopy photosynthetic light use efficiency instead of leaf photosynthesis holds great potential to catalyze the next "green revolution". However, leaves in a canopy experience different biochemical limitations due to the heterogeneities of microclimates and also physiological parameters. Mechanistic dynamic systems models of canopy photosynthesis are now available which can be used to design the optimal canopy architectural and physiological parameters to maximize CO2uptake. Rapid development of modern crop genetics research now makes it possible to link such canopy models with genetic variations of crops to develop genetics-based dynamic systems models of canopy photosynthesis. Such models can guide marker-assisted breeding or genomic selection or engineering of crops to enhance light and nitrogen use efficiencies for different regions under future climate change scenarios.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology and State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Partner Institute for Computational Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200031 China.
authors.forename: Qingfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center of Plant Gene Research (Beijing) Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology CAS Beijing 100101 China.
authors.forename: Chengcai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YQ UK.
authors.forename: Martin A J
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology and State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice Partner Institute for Computational Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200031 China.
authors.forename: Xin-Guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: Canopy photosynthesis; design crop systems; genetics‐based model of canopy photosynthesis; heterogeneity; microclimates