SUNLAB: A functional-structural model for genotypic and phenotypic characterization of the sunflower crop

A new functional-structural model SUNLAB for the crop sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is developed. It is dedicated to simulate the organogenesis, morphogenesis, biomass accumulation and biomass partitioning to organs in sunflower growth. It is adapted to model phenotypic response to diverse environment factors including temperature stress and water deficiency, and adapted to different genotypic variants. The model is confronted to experimental data and estimated parameter values of two genotypes “Melody” and “Prodisol” are presented. Statistical tests on estimated parameter values suggest that some parameters are common between genotypes and others are genotypic specific. Since SUNLAB parameters seem to show genotypic variability, it potentially makes the model an interesting intermediate to discriminate between genotypes. SUNLAB simulates individual leaf area and biomass as two state variables, an interesting corollary is that it also simulates dynamically the specific leaf area (SLA) variable. Further studies are performed to evaluate model performances with more genotypes and more discriminating environments to test and expand model´s adaptability and usability.