Three-Dimensional Modeling of Maize Canopies Based on Computational Intelligence

Abstract

The 3-dimensional (3D) modeling of crop canopies is fundamental for studying functional-structural plant models. Existing studies often fail to capture the structural characteristics of crop canopies, such as organ overlapping and resource competition. To address this issue, we propose a 3D maize modeling method based on computational intelligence. An initial 3D maize canopy is created using the t-distribution method to reflect characteristics of the plant architecture. The subsequent model considers the 3D phytomers of maize as intelligent agents. The aim is to maximize the ratio of sunlit leaf area, and by iteratively modifying the azimuth angle of the 3D phytomers, a 3D maize canopy model that maximizes light resource interception can be constructed. Additionally, the method incorporates a reflective approach to optimize the canopy and utilizes a mesh deformation technique for detecting and responding to leaf collisions within the canopy. Six canopy models of 2 varieties plus 3 planting densities was constructed for validation. The average R2 of the difference in azimuth angle between adjacent leaves is 0.71, with a canopy coverage error range of 7% to 17%. Another 3D maize canopy model constructed using 12 distinct density gradients demonstrates the proportion of leaves perpendicular to the row direction increases along with the density. The proportion of these leaves steadily increased after 9 × 104 plants ha−1. This study presents a 3D modeling method for the maize canopy. It is a beneficial exploration of swarm intelligence on crops and generates a new way for exploring efficient resources utilization of crop canopies.