Leaf orientation of cotton plant under tropical conditions
1997
Sornprach Thanisawanyangkura | Sinoquet, H. | Poonpipope Kasemsap (Kasetsart Univ., Bangkok (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Dept. of Botany)
Leaf orientation behaviour of cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. SSR 60) at two different stages of development were studied in the field under tropical conditions. Electromagnetic digitizing system was used for leaf angle and leaf position measurements at three different periods of two hours during the day. Leaf azimuth distribution of SSR 60 cotton variety was not uniform. Cotton leaves tended to face the sun in the morning, but tended to lag at noon and in the afternoon. Most of cotton leaves inclined between 15 deg C -45 deg C during the day. Cotton leaves showed a diaheliotropic movement throughout the day. They oriented more diaheliotropically at noon, but less in the morning and in the afternoon at both two stages of development. Because of actual leaf azimuth distribution, cotton plants could have 15-30 percent of advantage in direct radiation interception compared to uniform leaf azimuth distribution. Without a diurnal leaf orientation, cotton plants would intercept less direct radiation in the morning and in the afternoon. The ecological significance of this leaf orientation behaviour under tropical conditions is also discussed.
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