Allometric equations to predict the leaf area of castor bean cultivars

Using non-destructive and low-cost methods to determine leaf area has gained important applications. The research objectives were (i) to propose a non-destructive method to estimate the leaf area of castor bean crops and (ii) to build equations that accurately and quickly estimate the leaf area of specie. One thousand healthy and expanded leaves of five castor bean cultivars (New Zealand Purple, Sipeal, Carmencita, Amarelo de Irecê, and IAC-80) were collected, and 200 leaves were collected from each. The maximum length, maximum width, and leaf area were calculated for each leaf. The product between length and width (LW) were calculated. We performed tests with different linear and non-linear regression models between leaf area and linear leaf dimensions of each cultivar. The models used were linear, linear without intercept, and power. The criteria for choosing the best models to estimate the leaf area of castor beans were a higher coefficient of determination, more elevated Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient, lower Akaike information criterion, higher Willmott agreement index, and smallest root mean square error. The equations that presented the best criteria for estimating the leaf area of castor bean cultivars were those that used the product between length and width, compared to equations that used only one leaf dimension. The model ŷ = 0.439 × LW can be used to accurately and quickly estimate the castor bean leaf area through linear measurements of the leaves, using the product between length and width (LW), regardless of the cultivar chosen. RESUMO: O uso de métodos não destrutivos e de baixo custo para determinação de área foliar tem ganhado importantes aplicações. Os objetivos da pesquisa foram (i) propor um método não destrutivo para estimar a área foliar da cultura da mamona e (ii) construir equações que estimem com precisão e rapidez a área foliar da espécie. Foram coletadas mil folhas sadias e expandidas de cinco cultivares de mamona (New Zealand Purple, Sipeal, Carmencita, Amarelo de Irecê e IAC-80), sendo coletadas 200 folhas de cada uma. O comprimento máximo, largura máxima e área foliar foram calculados para cada folha. Foi calculado o produto entre comprimento e largura (LW). Foram realizados testes com diferentes modelos de regressão linear e não linear entre área foliar e dimensões lineares das folhas de cada cultivar. Os modelos utilizados foram linear, linear sem intercepto e potência. Os critérios para escolha dos melhores model