Estudio Geométrico de las Raíces de Theobroma Cacao: Caracterización Estructural y su Relación con la Producción Bajo Diferentes Condiciones Ambientales

Abstract

In Colombia, the cocoa plantación has big environmental, económicas and social relevancy because it is one of the main sources of the farmer's income in some departments, nevertheless, it has been a decreasing in the efficiency production from the period of the years 2003 to 2011, where there was a decrease in the efficiency harvesting that was unexpected. The geometric characterization of the Cocoa roots shows a different way of understanding the structure of the roots that allow to recognize the variables that affect the production efficiency. The geometric study of fractal cocoa has been implemented in the Theobroma roots by using the software Ez-Rhizo, obtaining values of angles and lengths correlated to the dimension fractal. With Ez-Rhizo gets the measurements of length and angle of growth (main root) in each of the roots, in which it was applied the method of counting the boxes used by the grills to obtain the fractal dimension. The information obtained from Ez-Rhizo (angle, length) as of the counting method (dimension fractal) was restricted to a status of certain values that form the set of roots of those that finally gets a base using the proper vectors of the characterized roots, this in order to treat to other roots as linear combinations of this base. Later it is associated an interval for the ideal temperature like the ambience for the structural development of the root. Finally a possible relation was gotten between the quantity of spilled water on the roots and the fractal dimension. The previous treatment is the first approach to the geometric study and of fractal of the cocoa roots with the final that could be used like a tool towards a much more rigorous method, every time the geometric study and of fractal is applied to the sowing system it is given a complex of the absence of a guideline and its scarce bibliography.