Towards a Quantitative Evaluation of Cereal Lamina Shape Using an Empirical Shape Model

Cereal laminae differ in dimension and shape in relation to their position on the stem and according to environmental conditions. Distinct responses of species and varieties are also expected. However, there is little quantitative data available. Here we present a framework to analyze lamina shape using a simple empirical model, which has five parameters. We demonstrate that the model is flexible enough to describe shape of spring barley and winter wheat laminae, grown in contrasted environmental conditions. The analysis of the parameter values estimated for the two species revealed distinct differences in lamina shape basically in the relative position where laminae reach their maximum width.