The central aim for the research undertaken in this PhD thesis is the development of a model for simulating water droplet movement on a leaf surface and to compare the model behavior with experimental observations. A series of five papers has been presented to explain systematically the way in which this droplet modelling work has been realised. Knowing the path of the droplet on the leaf surface is important for understanding how a droplet of water, pesticide, or nutrient will be absorbed through the leaf surface. An important aspect of the research is the generation of a leaf surface representation that acts as the foundation of the droplet model. Initially a laser scanner is used to capture the surface characteristics for two types of leaves in the form of a large scattered data set. After the identification of the leaf surface boundary, a set of internal points is chosen over which a triangulation of the surface is constructed. We present a novel hybrid approach for leaf surface fitting on this triangulation that combines Clough-Tocher (CT) and radial basis function (RBF) methods to achieve a surface with a continuously turning normal. The accuracy of the hybrid technique is assessed using numerical experimentation. The hybrid CT-RBF method is shown to give good representations of Frangipani and Anthurium leaves. Such leaf models facilitate an understanding of plant development and permit the modelling of the interaction of plants with their environment. The motion of a droplet traversing this virtual leaf surface is affected by various forces including gravity, friction and resistance between the surface and the droplet. The innovation of our model is the use of thin-film theory in the context of droplet movement to determine the thickness of the droplet as it moves on the surface. Experimental verification shows that the droplet model captures reality quite well and produces realistic droplet motion on the leaf surface. Most importantly, we observed that the simulated droplet motion follows the contours of the surface and spreads as a thin film. In the future, the model may be applied to determine the path of a droplet of pesticide along a leaf surface before it falls from or comes to a standstill on the surface. It will also be used to study the paths of many droplets of water or pesticide moving and colliding on the surface.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:55:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 484099 bytes, checksum: 2183b6947a541e4acdedb364504ccd85 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-08-10 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The superior phenotypes selection, in individual or families, is a practice of considerable importance for the improvers , once to obtain improved populations it is necessary to select and matings among or inside of families. This work s aim was to compare the efficiency of some arrangements between the individual selection and the selection among families to get combined selection indexes and soon afterwards to verify a cluster analysis was capable to detect different groups. Through the program GENESYS, it was simulated four genomes, each one considering only one characteristic, varying to each other just in value of heritability; then, we have two characteristics of low heritability (0,20 and 0,10), one of medium heritability (0,40) and one with high heritability (0,60). Using those genomes, bases populations of 1000 individuals (500 males and 500 females) with a rate endogamic equivalent to zero were simulated. In each base population, it was aleatory selected 10 males and 100 females corresponding, respectively, to 2% and 20% of selection intensity. When these individuals selected couple, it was maintained a control of 10 females for each male and, as a result, it was kept an initial population with 1000 descending, also maintaining a balance of 10 descending for female. For each characteristic selections, different arrangements were done to obtain combined selection s indexes. Thus, the first obtained index considers 100% for individual phenotype (Individual); the second considers 90% for individual phenotype and 10% for average phenotypic of the family (09P+01F); the third considers 70% for individual phenotype and 30% for average phenotypic of the family (07P+03F); the fourth considers 50% for the two values (05P+05F); the fifth considers 30% for individual phenotype and 70% for average phenotypic of the family (03P+07F); the sixth considers 10% for individual phenotype and 90% for average phenotypic of the family (01P+09F) and the seventh index considers 100% for the average phenotypic of the family (Family). The selected individuals' matings were driven at random. A final population of 1000 individuals was totaled. Each selection s strategy was led by 20 consecutive generations with 10 repetitions seeking to minimize the mistakes and effects of the genetic flotation. For a larger clarity in the interpretation of the results, a grouping analysis was accomplished by optimization by the method of Tocher in three intervals of time, with the first five generations, with the first ten generations and with the 20 total generations. The behavior of the selection s strategies for different herdability s values was not the same. As smaller the value of the heritability is, the difference among the averages phenotypics in each generation is bigger and the total earnings in these averages are smaller. The combination of the individual value with the family s average was more efficient for the lowest heritabilities. For these heritabilities, the individual selection or among families did not show to be a good option. The selection just through the individual s phenotypic value can be a good alternative for the characteristic of average herdabilidade and it was the best to the characteristic of high heritabilities. / A seleção de fenótipos superiores, sejam individuais ou famílias, é uma prática de considerável importância para o melhorista , uma vez que a obtenção de populações melhoradas passa pela seleção e acasalamentos entre ou dentro de famílias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a eficiência de alguns arranjos entre a seleção individual e a seleção entre famílias na obtenção de índices de seleção combinada e em seguida verificar se uma análise de agrupamento foi capaz de detectar grupos distintos. Por meio do programa GENESYS foram simulados quatro genomas, cada um considerando uma única característica, variando entre si apenas no valor da herdabilidade; assim, tem-se duas características de herdabilidade baixa (0,20 e 0,10), uma de herdabilidade média (0,40) e uma com alta herdabilidade (0,60). A partir desses genomas foram simuladas populações bases de 1000 indivíduos (500 machos e 500 fêmeas) com uma taxa endogâmica igual a zero. Em cada população base foram selecionados aleatoriamente 10 machos e 100 fêmeas correspondendo, respectivamente, a uma intensidade de seleção de 2% e 20%. Por meio do acasalamento desses indivíduos selecionados, mantendo o equilíbrio de 10 fêmeas para cada macho, obteve-se uma população inicial com 1000 descendentes, também mantendo um equilíbrio de 10 descendentes por fêmea. Para cada característica foram realizadas seleções com diferentes arranjos para obtenção de índices de seleção combinada. Assim, tem-se o primeiro índice que pondera 100% para o fenótipo individual (Individual); o segundo que considera 90% para fenótipo individual e 10% para média fenotípica da família (09P+01F); o terceiro com 70% para fenótipo individual e 30% para média fenotípica da família (07P+03F); o quarto com 50% para os dois valores (05P+05F); o quinto com 30% para fenótipo individual e 70% para média fenotípica da família (03P+07F); o sexto com 10% para fenótipo individual e 90% para média fenotípica da família (01P+09F) e o sétimo índice que considera 100% para a média fenotípica da família (Família). Os acasalamentos dos indivíduos selecionados foram conduzidos ao acaso. Totalizou-se uma população final de 1000 indivíduos. Cada estratégia de seleção foi conduzida por 20 gerações consecutivas com 10 repetições visando minimizar os erros e efeitos da flutuação genética. Para maior clareza na interpretação dos dados foi realizada análise de agrupamento por otimização pelo método de Tocher em três intervalos de tempo, com as cinco primeiras gerações, com as dez primeiras gerações e com as 20 gerações totais. O comportamento das estratégias de seleção para os diferentes valores de herdabilidade não foram iguais. Quanto menor foi o valor da herdabilidade, maior foi a diferença entre as médias fenotípicas em cada geração e menor foi o ganho total nestas médias. A combinação do valor individual com a média de família foi mais eficiente para as herdabilidades baixas. Para estas herdabilidades, a seleção individual e a entre famílias não se mostraram boa opção. A seleção apenas pelo valor fenotípico individual pode ser boa alternativa para a característica de média herdabilidade e foi a melhor opção para a característica de alta herdabilidade.