Pome fruit tissue growth modelling.

Fruit tissue growth modeling is a complex and challenging task. What regulates the overall growth of a cell and how cell growth is coordinated with progression through the cell cycle is still a scientific and modeling mystery. The timing of cell divisions and elongation at different parts of the tissue and the direction of the cell division are different. The control mechanisms involved in regulating growth are complex and reverse engineering them from experimental data is an extremely difficult task. Thus, there is a need to develop computational and mathematical models to simulate the growth and proliferation of cells. The main objective of this project is to develop modeling tools to simulate the growth of pome fruit tissue at different developmental stages. In the growth modeling, a cell will be defined by a set of dynamic state parameters such as morphogen level, growth rate, anisotropy, growth axis, division axis, turgor, morphogen production rate. The state parameters provide feedback between cell shape, cell-cell signaling and regulation of cell behavior. The nature of the coupling of these feedback processes will be defined in the generic code. To implement cell growth modeling the following work plans will be executed. Apple and pear fruit tissue will be used as model systems as the MeBioS division has a wide experience with them.

Keywords:Cell cycle, Cell growth, Mathematical modelling, Fruit tissue, Pome fruit, Fruit growth, Modelling, Growth models