Deciphering mango tree asynchronisms using Markov tree and probabilistic graphical models

Abstract : Tree development is often characterised by complex dependencies between daughter growth units (GUs) deriving from a given mother GU, the so-called sister GUs. These dependencies directly affect the reproductive and vegetative phenological patterns that are at the origin of asynchronisms between adjacent GUs, eventually leading to within-canopy patchiness. These phenomena are rather common on tropical fruit-trees. We introduce new parsimonious statistical models to identify such dependencies. The proposed approach is illustrated on mango tree, a tropical species with a particularly complex timing of development. We focus especially on differences on fates and dates of burst between the daughter GUs issued from a same mother GU.