Efficiency of photosynthetically active radiation interception associated with morphological traits in canola cultivars

The interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is a key factor for biological productivity, and its magnitude depends on the availability of solar radiation, the stage of the plant development cycle, and the arrangement of plant structures. Given the arrangement of the vegetative and reproductive structures in different portions in the canola canopy, the objective of this study was to morphologically characterize canola cultivars and establish relationships with the stratification of the efficiency of PAR interception. Eight canola cultivars were evaluated in regards to PAR and plant morphological traits. Following the analysis of variance, treatment means were grouped, and the phenotypic correlation matrix between the traits was determined. We observed a strong relationship between the PAR interception efficiency of vegetative and reproductive structures with morphological traits. Plants with a higher number of branches have more siliques and greater efficiency of PAR interception, mainly through the reproductive structures. The characterization of morphological differences between canola cultivars in the PAR interception efficiency should be performed by measures stratified by vegetative and reproductive structures.