This project investigated postnatal development of the adrenocortical function in captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) employing measurements of basal and stress-induced levels of corticosterone at specific developmental stages. Chicks aged 10-days exhibited partially functioning adrenocortical systems with baseline levels comparable to adults. The ability to respond to external stressors increased through postnatal development and by the age of 22 days, stress-induced maximal levels of corticosterone were indistinguishable from those of one-year old adults, and levels of 28-day old birds were significantly higher than these adults. In addition, baseline and maximum stress-induced levels of corticosterone at all ages were significantly higher in first-hatched chicks than all other siblings and these effects grew stronger through development. These results suggest that the brain-pituitary-adrenal axis in this semi-altricial species is (1) already partially developed in young chicks and (2) only becomes fully functional when behavioral and neuromuscular development is nearly complete. Furthermore, results from this study suggest that hatching asynchrony has an effect on this variation in stress-induced maximal levels of corticosterone during the latter half of postnatal development, with a higher degree of hatching asynchrony leading to larger disparity in adrenocortical function between first- and fourth-hatched chicks. This adrenocortical disparity resulting from female-mediated hatching asynchrony may potentially lead to both brood-reduction and brood survival under diametric food conditions, ensuring that the female's reproductive fitness is maximized in varying habitats. Variation of adrenocortical function among siblings may increase female efficiency in raising a brood of fit chicks, maximizing her reproductive success.

Many plants accumulate organic osmolytes in response to the imposition of environmental stresses that cause cellular dehydration. Of these, proline is the most extensively studied. Conclusive demonstration that this imino acid acts as a compatible solute which mediates osmotic adjustment has yet to be achieved, although a causal relationship between increased proline synthesis and plant tolerance of hyperosmotic stresses has previously been demonstrated. It is proposed that in many plants, the metabolic implications of the regulated increase in proline synthesis and/or a decline in proline degradation during stress may play a more important role in acclimation to adverse conditions than the simple accumulation of the end-product of these adjustments. In particular, the stress-induced increase in the transfer of reducing equivalents into proline by Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) synthetase (P5CS) and P5C reductase (P5CR) may be a protective mechanism whereby many species ameliorate shifts in cellular redox potential which accompany all biotic and abiotic stresses which cause proline accumulation, including those that do not cause cellular dehydration. The presence of several putative stress-regulated promoter elements in the AtP5CS1, AtP5CS2 and AtP5CR genes of Arabidopsis thaliana strongly implicates an adaptive role for stress-induced increases in proline synthesis in this species. Sequence homologies of several regions within the 5' untranslated regions of these genes to promoter elements which have been shown to participate in redox control of gene expression, the actions of phytochrome and hormones, and tissue-specific regulation of gene expression are also identified. These provide useful indicators both of the mechanisms by which proline synthesis is regulated and how these may relate to its importance in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. In an attempt to resolve the functionality of proline accumulation under stress, chimeric antisense genes comprising 1050 bp and 999 bp fragments of Arabidopsis cDNAs encoding AtP5CS1 and AtP5CR respectively were inserted in the reverse orientation between the CaMV 35S promoter and the GUS gene (encodes β-glucuronidase) in the plant transformation vector pBI121. These constructs were introduced separately into Arabidopsis by cocultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains carrying the pBI-P5CS1 (AS) and pBI-P5CR(AS) plasmids. Transgenic plants, which were selected on the basis of kanamycin resistance, regenerated at a low frequency in the presence of 1 mM proline. Transformation of 13 pBI-P5CS1(AS) and 7 pBI-P5CR(AS) lines was confirmed by PCR-mediated amplification of gene fragments within the introduced T-DNA. Segregation ratios for kanamycin resistance indicated that most of the lines have multiple T-DNA insertions. Transformants were characterised with respect to their growth rates and free proline content. In at least two pBI-P5CS1(AS) transformants and two pBI-P5CR(AS) transformants, a reduction in root growth rates in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of NaCI correlated with reduced β-glucuronidase activity relative to transgenic lines that were no more sensitive to NaCI than were controls. A reduction in root growth rate both in the absence and presence of hyperosmotic stress was noted in two pBI-P5CS1(AS) transformants, designated A5 and B12. In 14 day-old plants of the T₂ generation of both A5 and B12, free proline levels were significantly lower than in wild-type plants both in the absence of stress and following 24 h incubation in either 250 mM NaCI or 550 mM sorbitol or at 5 °C. In both lines, reduced growth rates in the absence of osmotic stress could be restored by exogenous proline, but not by exogenous glutamate. When used at isosmotic concentrations, sorbitol caused a larger reduction in free proline levels in both A5 and B12 than did NaCI. This observation may relate to an ABM-mediated post-transcriptional effect on AtP5CS1 gene expression which affects NaCI-, but not sorbitol-mediated proline accumulation in Arabidopsis. Post-transcriptional regulation of the expression of the genes involved in proline biosynthesis may account, at least partly, for the absence of dramatic phenotypic effects in any of the pBI-P5CS1(AS) or pBI-P5CR(AS) lines. Under the premise that regulation of shifts in proline metabolism regulate cellular redox potential under conditions of stress may be mirrored by the involvement of proline metabolism in modulating metabolism during normal growth and development, the effects of exogenous proline on Arabidopsis seed germination, seedling growth and in vitro shoot organogenesis were investigated. A dose-dependent inhibition of radicle emergence by millimolar concentrations of proline could be overcome by the artificial oxidants methylene blue and phenazine ethosulphate. Assays of the rate-limiting dehydrogenases of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), as well as changes in the contributions of ¹⁴C₁ - and ¹⁴C₆ -labelled glucose to respired CO₂ during germination, are consistent with activation of the OPPP during Arabidopsis seed germination. An approximately four-fold increase in free proline, which peaked at the time of radical emergence, was not parallelled by changes in other amino acids and could not be ascribed to degradation of seed storage proteins. Delayed radical emergence in T₂ generation seeds of the pBI-P5CS1(AS) lines A5 and B12 correlated with an approximately 35% reduction in the maximal concentration of proline accumulated during germination. Millimolar concentrations of exogenous proline had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on Arabidopsis seedling growth both in the light and in darkness. This reduction in growth arises at least in part from a decline in cell elongation. Accordingly, exogenous proline increased total extractable peroxidase activity in Arabidopsis seedlings through the selective induction of peroxidase isoforms. Histochemical analysis of the hypocotyls of plants grown in the presence of exogenous proline suggested that proline increased the levels of lignin and/or the phenolic precursors thereof. A dose-dependent decrease in extractable chlorophyll and damage to chloroplastic and mitochondrial ultrastructure was observed in 21 day-old Arabidopsis seedlings grown in the presence of millimolar concentrations of exogenous proline. In vitro shoot organogenesis from Arabidopsis hypocotyl explants was stimulated by 1 mM proline, and to a lesser extent by 5 mM proline, but inhibited by inclusion of 10 mM proline in the hormonallysupplemented regeneration media. The ability of low concentrations of proline analogues (azetidine-2-carboxylate and thioproline) to overcome the stimulatory effect of 1 mM proline, and a slight increase in the stimulative effects of 1 mM proline by D-proline, are consistent with an important role for the interconversions of proline and its precursors in regulating cell division and differentiation. Together, these data strongly support an important role for the interconversions of proline and its precursors in the regulation of intermediary metabolism under both normal and stressful conditions. These findings draw into question the widely accepted, although poorly investigated, hypothesis that proline is an inert compatible solute that can be accumulated to high levels with minimal effects on cellular metabolism. The novel proposal that stress-induced changes in proline metabolism exert a regulatory effect though an influence on the level of reduction of the cellular NADP pool is discussed in relation to recent evidence that a signal related to proline synthesis and/or degradation selectively increases the expression of stress-induced plant genes. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Physiological characteristics of the response to water stress of two maize cultivars, the one drought resistant (PAN473) and the other drought sensitive (SR52), were compared. Mature plants were grown in one of two treatments, control and water stress. The drought resistant cultivar had a higher growth rate and a greater amount of roots in the lower soil levels than the drought sensitive cultivar in the water stress treatment. There was no difference between the cultivars in physiological characteristics in the control treatment, but in the water-stress treatment the drought resistant cultivar had a higher transpiration rate during the onset of water stress, and higher relative water content and levels of abscisic acid and proline throughout the period of water stress. A comparison between the cultivars in their gene expression response was done to determine if a correlation could be made with the difference in physiological response. A differential screening of water stress cDNA libraries identified nine different cDNA species which gave a signal with the water stress probe but not the control probe. Three of these cDNAs were represented by more than one cDNA clone. The cDNAs occurred in both libraries, therefore there was no difference between the cultivars in the presence or absence of the water stress responsive genes. The three genes represented by these cDNAs were named rws7, rws16 and rws5. All three genes showed increased transcription in response to water stress in whole plants, and to desiccation and osmotic stress of detached leaves. No increase in transcription was found in response to exogenously applied abscisic acid or proline. No difference between the cultivars was observed in the pattern of transcription response. Two of the three cDNA species that are represented more than once were sequenced. Rws7 had an open reading frame. A BLAST search found no homologous amino acid sequences, but the characteristics of the polypeptide suggest that it is a dehydrin. Rws 16 had a partial coding sequence. A BLAST search found two homologous amino acid sequences, and both were chloride channel proteins. The remaining seven cDNA species were sequenced at their 5' ends, and no complete homologous nucleotide sequences were found. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

y-Aminonbutyric acid (GABA) is a ubiquitous non-protein amino acid found ill many plants and organisms. GABA accumulation in plants has previously been reported as result of stresses such as water deprivation, high salinity and temperature extremes. It is thought that GABA accumulates as a compatible solute in the cytoplasm where it becomes a major constituent of the free amino acid pool. GABA is synthesised from the decarboxylation of glutamate by glutamate decarboxylase (GDC). In some plants, GDC is activated by the lowering of the cytoplasmic pH and the presence of calmodulin and Ca²+ A calmodulin-induced activation of may be due to the physiological factors and environmental stimuli acting in concert leading to the synthesis and accumulation of GABA. The GABA content of Arabidopsis thaliana var. Columbia (L) Heynh leaves was found to increase by over 130% due to water deprivation. NaCl concentrations of up to 100 mM seemed to cause GABA accumulation due to a decrease in osmotic potential. Concentrations of NaCl above 100 mM probably caused GABA accumulation due to combined hyperosmosis and salt toxicity effects. The high levels of GABA in the leaves were maintained throughout a 24 h stress-application period, consistent with its role as compatible solute. The accumulation of GABA followed by its decline in the dark could be attributed to its rapid metabolism because of an active GABA shunt. This is in contrast to the absence of major variations in the amount of GABA in the light confirming its decreased role as a channel for the glutamate carbon and nitrogen under such conditions. A substantial increase in the GABA content was followed by a dramatic decrease in the last 12 h of incubation. This profile of GABA could support its proposed role as a temporary sink for nitrogen and carbon from glutamate during environmental stress. Glutamate decarboxylase appears to be encoded by a single gene in the genome of Arabidopsis. Sequence analysis reveals that the protein possesses what could be a carboxy-terminal, calmodulin- binding domain, which is consistent with other glutamate decarboxylases. The 30-amino acid peptide contains a TrpLysLys motif found in some calmodulin targets. The secondary structure predictions of this peptide suggest a potential to form an a- helix which is also consistent with proteins known calmodulin- binding domains. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Biochemical and ultrastructural changes associated with chilling injury (CI) in soybean seeds imbibed at 5°C and 25°C were investigated. Soybean seed germination appeared to be affected by chilling temperatures and initial seed moisture content. Seeds with higher moisture contents exhibited 85% germination, while low moisture content seeds had a 32% germination. Leakage rates were greater in chilled seeds, indicating that membrane integrity in the tissues was impaired at chilling. The low rates of potassium ion leakage between 6 and 24 hours of imbibition compared to the high peroxide levels observed during this period led to the suggestion that lipid peroxidation was a better marker of CI than leakage. Transient changes in lipid hydroperoxide levels were observed in chilled and non-chilled seeds and axes. However, in axes, the increase in lipid hydroperoxides after 12 hours of imbibition at chilling temperatures was associated with an 18% decline in linoleic acid levels of total lipid fraction. Similarly, a 10% decline was observed in the polar lipid fraction. These results suggest that the capacity of seeds to control lipid peroxidation may be an important component in CI and that a consequence of peroxidation is likely to be a loss of fatty acid unsaturation. Sugar levels were not affected by chilling and non-chilling temperatures and no relationship could be established with CI. Antioxidant defense enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) were expressed at chilling and non-chilling temperatures and increases were observed after 24 hours of imbibition which showed an apparent correlation with increases to lipid hydroperoxide levels. Enzyme levels decreased after 48 hours of imbibition at a time which coincided with the decline observed in the peroxide levels. Overall, no marked differences were observed in chilled and non-chilled cells at the ultrastructural level, except that vacuolar reserve mobilization was markedly impeded. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

In Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heyhn, the size of the pool of free proline increases up to 27-fold in response to osmotic stress. The magnitude of this accumulation is dependent upon the rate of imposition of the stress. Numerous reports have suggested a role for proline accumulation as a general adaptation to environmental stress. However, controversy surrounds the beneficial effect of proline accumulation in plants under adverse environmental conditions. Stress-induced proline accumulation in plants occurs mainly by de novo synthesis from glutamate. The final and only committed step of proline biosynthesis in plants is catalysed by Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (P5CR). The sequence of an incomplete 999 bp cDNA encoding P5CR from A. thaliana was determined. This enabled a preliminary molecular study of the structure and function of both the gene and the corresponding enzyme. The 999 bp cDNA insert in the clone Y AP057 was sequenced on the sense and antisense strands following subcloning of four sub-fragments in appropriate orientations. Comparison with known plant P5CR sequences revealed that Y AP057 does not encode the first 23 N-terminal amino acids of P5CR from Arabidopsis. However, it does encode the remaining 253 amino acid residues of Arabidopsis P5CR The cDNA Y AP057 is complete on the 3' end as indicated by the presence of a poly(A) tail. The nucleotide sequence determined shows complete homology to the corresponding exons of the genomic copy of a bona fide gene encoding P5CR in A. thaliana (Verbruggen et al, 1993). The only difference observed between the sequence of Y AP057 and that of a cDNA sequenced by these workers is that polyadenylation was initiated seven nucleotides earlier in Y AP057 than in the sequence of the published cDNA. Genomic Southern analysis suggests the presence of only a single copy of the gene encoding P5CR in Arabidopsis. Restriction mapping and sequencing the ends of another incomplete Arabidopsis P5CR cDNA clone FAFJ25 (664 bp) indicated that the regions sequenced were completely homologous to the corresponding portions of Y AP057. Analysis of codon usage in the Arabidopsis gene encoding P5CR revealed it to closely resemble the consensus pattern of codon usage in A. thaliana. This suggests that the gene is moderately. expressed. Expression of the gene encoding P5CR in Arabidopsis is not likely to be subject to translational control. Although P5CR from A. thaliana has a fairly high composition of hydrophobic amino acid residues, it does not possess any stretches of hydrophobic amino acids of sufficient length to act as membrane-spanning domains or to anchor the enzyme in a membrane. Neither does it contain an N- terminal leader sequence capable of directing it to either the plastid or mitochondrion. The enzyme therefore appears to be cytosolic. The nucleic acid and deduced amino acid sequences of Arabidopsis P5CR were compared with those from·eleven other organisms for which P5CR sequences are currently available. Except among the three different plants examined, P5CR sequences displayed less identity at the amino acid level than at the nucleotide level. The deduced amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis P5CR exhibits high similarity to the corresponding genes and amino acid sequences of P5CR from soybean and pea. Lower but significant similarity was observed to the amino acid sequences of P5CRs from human, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacteria Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Thermus thermophilus, Mycobacterium leprae; Treponema pallidum and Methanobrevibacter smithii. Similarity was also observed to the translational product of a gene from Bacillus subtilis with high homology to the E. coli proC gene. However, construction of a phenogram indicating the relatedness of the various P5CR enzymes suggests that sequence analysis of this enzyme is not a good indicator of evolutionary relatedness of organisms from different biological kingdoms. Multiple alignment of the twelve known P5CR sequences indicated homology between the sequences across their entire lengths. Homology was particularly high in the C-terminal portions of the P5CRs studied. It is speculated that this region may be of importance in binding of the substrate Δ¹-pyrroline-S-carboxylate (P5C). Another region displaying high sequence conservation was found in the central portion of all P5CRs. All P5CRs studied, with the exception of PSCR from T. pallidum contained an N-terminal domain capable of binding a nicotinamide dinucleotide cofactor. Comparison of this region with consensus sequences for NADH and NADPH binding sites in proteins suggests that NADPH is the preferred reductant used by P5CRs from plants and human. In contrast, the N-terrninal domains of P5CRs from S. cerevisiae, M smithii, T. thermophilus and M leprae display greater similarity to a consensus NADH-binding site. The definite preference of plant P5CRs for NADPH in comparison with NADH suggests that P5CR may be involved in regulating the redox potential within plant cells and that this step in proline biosynthesis from glutamate may be of importance in overall metabolic regulation. Three amino acid residues are universally conserved in all P5CRs studied. All are found within blocks of high sequence similarity. These residues are likely to be of importance in the structure or catalytic mechanism of P5CR. A number of other residues are common to several of the enzymes examined. These may also be of importance in subsequent manipulation of Arabidopsis P5CR at the molecular level. Prediction of the putative secondary structures of A. thaliana, soybean, pea, human and E. coli indicated a high degree of similarity between the enzymes. This was particularly evident in the region of the putative P5C-binding domain. Considerable similarity exists in hydrophobicity profiles of P5CRs from these five organisms. Proline levels in reproductive organs of unstressed Arahidopsis plants were considerably higher than those in vegetative tissues. This suggests differential expression of enzymes involved in proline metabolism in these organs. In situ hybridisation studies indicated an increase in levels of mRNA transcripts encoding P5CR in stem tissues in response to water deprivation stress. Regulation of levels of mRNA transcript encoding P5CR in Arabidopsis therefore appears to be an osmotically sensitive process. Furthermore, this accumulation of transcript occurred in a tissue-specific manner. In particular, an increase in levels of transcript encoding P5CR was observed in the cortical parenchyma, phloem, vascular cambium and pith parenchyma in the vicinity of the protoxylem. The significance of these findings in contributing to a better understanding of the role of proline in adaptation to environmental stress is discussed. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1995.

The present study was performed to determine if pigs varying in their susceptibility to stress, adapted to a casein-based diet, experience an improvement in biochemical parameters related to stress and behaviour compared to pigs adapted to the traditional western canadian cereal-based swine diet. Experiment 1 involved separating fifty-eight, 8-week old pigs according to genotype with respect to the halothane gene. Within each genotype pigs were divided into 2 groups and assigned to either a control diet or to a diet where most of the protein source was substituted for casein. All animals were adapted to diet for 6 weeks and experienced a weekly blood sampling stressor. Day 1, 14 and 35 of the plasma samples were analyzed for glucose, cortisol, ACTH, insulin, pyridoxal 5$ sp prime$-phosphate (PLP), amino acid concentrations and dopamine-$ beta$-hydroxylase (DBH) activity; metabolic indices known to be responsive to stress. Experiment 2 involved separating fifty-seven, 14-week old pigs in the same manner, then adapting the pigs to their respective diets for a period of 4 weeks. Afterwards, pigs were transferred from their pen to a novel pen-maze situation where they had their behaviour monitored for a period of one hour. Results of these experiments have revealed that (1) the stress susceptible and carrier pigs experienced reduced day 35 plasma glucose, PLP concentrations and DBH activity compared to normal pigs; (2) dietary adaptation to the casein diet resulted in greater day 14 and 35 PLP levels and day 35 essential amino acid lysine, threonine, methionine, tryptophan and arginine concentrations compared to control-adapted pigs; (3) the carrier pigs investigated their surroundings more frequently than the stress susceptible pigs, and the normal pigs engaged in the through-maze behaviour more often than the stress susceptible pigs; and (4) adaptation to the casein diet, compared to the control diet, resulted in fewer displacement-type behaviours such as drinking

The Drosophila melanogaster eIF4E binding protein (d4E-BP) inhibits translation initiation and is implicated in cell growth as a downstream effector of the Drosophila insulin signaling pathway. Since d4E-BP null flies show similar growth and development to control flies, the possibility of a conditional phenotype was explored through stress treatments. Adult d4E-BP null flies show sensitivity to oxidative stress, and d4E-BP null larvae die faster than controls under starvation and protein starvation. Expressing a mutant d4E-BP that doesn't bind to eIF4E in the d4E-BP null background does not rescue this stress sensitivity, which suggests that wild-type stress resistance requires binding of d4E-BP to eIF4E. / The Drosophila forkhead transcription factor dFOXO is a transcriptional activator of d4E-BP. There is a strong reduction of d4E-BP peptide in a dFOXO null background. dFOXO null flies are also sensitive to oxidative stress, and rescue of this sensitivity through ectopic expression of UAS-d4E-BP(wt) in a dFOXO null background suggests d4E-BP is a downstream mediator of dFOXO oxidative stress resistance.

This study investigated the possibility of three approaches in determination of soil moisture in the root zone. The aim of the study was to contribute to the development of soil moisture monitoring methods to better help crop best management practices. / Two fields were examined, one at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University and the other near St. Jean-sur-Richelieau. Three approaches were used; (1) a hand-held hyper-spectral sensor (350-2500 nm), (2) a Geonics RTM EM-38 conductivity meter and, (3) gravimetric soil moisture sampling. / The first experiment (at St. Jean-sur-Richelieu) investigated the possibility of monitoring soil moisture with the EM_38, in the presence of field elevation and soil texture. The second experiment (at Macdonald Campus) investigated the possibility of using hyper-spectral sensor data for determination of soil characteristics in the root zone, in the presence of such factors as (a) irrigation (main treatment), (b) nitrogen (sub-treatment), and (c) weed control (sub-sub-treatment). Statistical regression analyses and Artificial Neural Network models were used to select the best waveband region for determination of soil root zone moisture. / The coefficients of determination obtained by the statistical analyses ranged from 0.75 to 0.94. The wavebands most frequently identified by these analyses ranged from 1100 nm-1900 nm. / The performances of the ANN training models were considered acceptable (R2 from 0.6 to 0.8). The lack of sufficient data greatly impacts this approach.

This study used hyperspectral data to determine nitrogen, weed, and water stresses in a corn (Zea mays L.) field in southwestern Quebec, and incorporated these data in crop growth models for better crop growth simulation under stressful conditions. / In 2000, aerial hyperspectral images (72 wavebands, ranging from 407 to 949 nm) were acquired, and analyzed using a stepwise approach to identify wavebands useful in detecting weed and nitrogen stresses. Discriminant analysis (DA) was used to classify different weed and nitrogen treatments and their combinations. This analysis showed greater classification accuracy (nearly 75%) than those obtained with artificial neural networks (58%) or decision tree algorithms (60%), at the initial growth stages, the time when remedial actions are most needed to alleviate weed and nitrogen stresses. / To explore the possibility of improving nitrogen stress detection in corn in the presence of a confounding water stress, ground-based 2151 narrow-waveband reflectance values (350 to 2500 nm), were collected in 2002. Using DA with the chosen subset of narrow-wavebands, a classification accuracy of greater than 95% was obtained. / For crop growth monitoring, the STICS model was evaluated for yield and biomass estimation in cornfields under different stressful growth conditions using the data collected from 2000 to 2002. Measured yield, biomass, and leaf area index (LAI) were used for both calibration and validation of the model. High correlation coefficients between the measured and estimated grain yield (0.96), biomass (0.98), and LAI (0.93) indicated that the model has good potential in the simulation of corn growth. The model was also linked with LAI values estimated from the hyperspectral observations using the Support Vector Machines technique. Coupling STICS with remote sensing resulted in an overall improvement in the simulation of corn yield (6.3%) and biomass (3.7%). / A new approach was developed to apply crop growth models for yield estimation in weedy areas. The proposed method first corrects the measured/estimated LAI values in weed infested fields for weed effect, and then uses the corrected LAI values as input to the crop growth model. The results showed that the crop yield and biomass predictions were correctly simulated by this method.* / *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation).