Changing key life cycle parameters

The most important parameters that affect the plant life cycle are found in the General parameters section. To get there, click the Parameters tab in the main window, then choose General parameters from the drop-down list of parameter sections.

The important life cycle parameters are

▪ Age at maturity: The number of days from seedling emergence to maturity (when the plant is full-sized). This number doesn't have to correspond to any real value, of course, because we are creating drawings here, not biological accuracy. It takes time to create plant parts (each type of plant part has a minimum number of days required to create it), so you should allow at least 50 days to grow the plant, and more if you want a very leafy plant. See Using number parameter panelsUsing_number_parameter_panels>second for help on changing this number.

▪ Growth curve: A graph of plant size versus age. Most plants follow an S-shaped curve of growth, with an initial delay, a growth spurt, and then a slowdown when the plant begins to senesce (age). You can choose any shape of curve, to some extent, as long as the curve works with the exponential equation used to generate plant growth. See Using S curve parameter panelsUsing_S_curve_parameter_panels>second for help on changing the growth curve.

▪ Age at which flowering starts: How old the plant is when it starts allocating some of its new growth to reproductive structures. If you don't want any flowers or fruits on your plant, you can set this number to a number greater than the age at maturity, or you can place zero inflorescences in the plant (as you do in the wizard).