The effect of row orientation, date and latitude on light absorption by row crops

Abstract

SUMMARY: A model study of light absorption by rectangular hedgerows with different row orientations was made.The effect of row orientation on daily light absorption is greatest around 25° latitude. North–south orientation gives highest absorption for most of the year near the equator. At higher latitudes, up to 55°, absorption is highest with N–S orientation during the summer months and with E–W orientations for the rest of the year, but the magnitude of the difference between orientations decreases with increasing latitude. From 65° upwards, E–W orientation gives highest absorption all the year round, but the difference among orientations is minor. The effect of orientation will be smaller as cloudiness is greater.The results of this study are wholly consistent with yield differences due to different orientations, reported in the literature.