Effect of 3D nitrogen, dry mass per area and local irradiance on canopy photosynthesis within leaves of contrasted heterogeneous maize crops

Background and Aims: Nitrogen partitioning within stands has been described fairly comprehensively, especially for C3 plants in dense stands where the horizontal heterogeneity of foliage distribution is relatively small. Nitrogen has been shown to be distributed vertically and in parallel to light, maximizing carbon assimilation and stand productivity. Conversely, row crops such as maize (C4 plants) are characterized by strong horizontal heterogeneity of foliage distribution, and a three-dimensional (3D) approach is required to investigate the combined effect of spatial distribution of nitrogen and light on canopy photosynthesis. Model: The 3D geometry of maize canopies was modelled with varying densities and at different developmental stages using plant digitizing under field conditions. For lamina parts, photosynthesis was measured and nitrogen content per unit area (Na) was described from analysis of nitrogen content per unit mass (Nm) and dry mass per unit area (Ma). Hyperbolic relationships between photosynthesis at irradiance saturation (Pmax) and Na were established as well as a linear relationship between dark respiration (Rd) and Na, whereas quantum efficiency (α) was found to be independent of Na. Key Results and Conclusions: Nm, Ma and Na were shown to change over time vertically (i.e. between laminae), which has been largely reported previously, and horizontally (i.e. within laminae), which has scarcely been described previously. Even if Ma played a major role in Na, a strong relationship between Na and Ma could not be demonstrated, whereas several previous studies have found that Na was essentially related to Ma rather than Nm. From simulations of radiative exchange using a 3D volume-based approach and lamina photosynthesis using a hyperbola, it was shown that real patterns of Na partitioning could increase daily crop photosynthesis by up to 8 % compared with uniform patterns of Na, especially for the earliest stages of stand development.