Modelagem alométrica para estimativa não-destrutiva de área foliar do feijão-caupi Cultivar BRS Miranda.

Abstract

Due to the high demand for food and natural resources, it is necessary to cultivate species with multiple uses, such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.). Although cowpea has high relevance for the Brazilian table, models of regression for estimating leaf area from leaflets, notably for the BRS Miranda cultivar, have not yet been developed. 270 leaflets of V. unguiculata were collected from cowpea cultivar BRS Miranda, from which measurements were taken to determine the length (L), width (W) and the product between these measurements (LW), later the real area of the leaflets (LA) was determined by digital image processing using the ImageJ® software. The data from L, W, LW and LA were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis, followed by the creation of leaflet size classes and adjustment of the models. Allometric models can be used with high performance to estimate the leaflet area of cowpea cv. BRS Miranda as a non-destructive method based on linear measurements of leaflet length and width. The leaf area of cowpea cv. BRS Miranda can be estimated using the model ELA = - 0.236 + 0.669×LW, where ELA is the estimated leaf area and LW is the product of leaflet length and width.