Model-based analysis of leaf shape
Growth conditions and ontogeny usually have significant effects on leaf shape in grasses, which need to be accounted for in growth models. Dornbusch et al. apply an empirical model to compare wheat, Triticum aestivum, and barley, Hordeum vulgare, and find that leaf shape is remarkably stable for a given leaf rank, but clearly differs when comparing successive leaf ranks. The model errors are small, and hence the results can be integrated into architectural models of plant development to delineate leaf shape for different species, cultivars and environmental conditions.
