Crop Radiation Capture and Use Efficiency: A Framework for Crop Growth Analysis

This chapter summarizes the use of radiation-use efficiency (RUE) to analyze crop growth in agronomy, breeding, and modeling. It discusses the limitations that may constrain the utility of the RUE. Its purpose is to present neither an encyclopedic review of RUE applications nor a manual to determine RUE. Separating RUE and radiation capture provides a transparent and robust framework for crop growth analysis and treatment comparisons. Major differences in the physiology of C₃, C₄, and legume crops are captured in the maximum RUE for different species. The radiation capture and RUE framework also offers a simple way of simulating crop growth by modeling biomass accrual as the product of intercepted radiation and RUE, provided that environmental and other factors affecting RUE are considered. For agronomic or breeding applications, the use of that framework provides a powerful tool for comparison among treatments on the same location; comparisons among locations require more caution but are still feasible.