We are testing a model of competition of water uptake by measuring plants of two species growing alone, competing with plants of the same species, and competing with plants of the other species.
The experiments were set up in the Penn State greenhouse and have been the core of Gustavo Camargo's PhD dissertation. The primary goal is to simulate mixtures of temperate pastures, while the ultimate goal is to have a comprehensive model of multi-species canopies that allow simulating pastures and other mixtures. We are also expanding this concept to the management of traditional and energy crops (polyculture experiment).
