Application of an existing flowering model to the strawberry guava. Analysis of discrepancies between the model and data
2002
Normand, F. | Habib, R.
Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) was an innovation of European horticulture in the 1980s but much remains to be done in terms of biological models applied to IFP decision support systems. Almost none of the present models deal with important aspects regarding (i) responses of the plant to pest attacks and diseases, and their consequences on fruit quality, (ii) regulation of pests in response to plant food sources, and to pest predators and diseases, (iii) effect of the plant environment as a source of pests, diseases and pest predators. We present a model-shaped thought to discuss these points, based on a simplified system constituted of trees (foliage and fruit part), pests and pest predators. The pest population acts on trees by reducing the area of leaves (assimilate sources), which results in a decreasing growth of fruit (assimilate sink). A Volterra (density-dependent) model is used to describe the pest-predator relationships, and the predators are assumed to be influenced by the nearby environment. By introducing the possible effect of chemical pest control, we show the ability of the system to help plan integrated pest control while being mindful of fruit quality objectives.
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