Chapter 3: Theoretical Tools and Concepts for Modelling Growing Plant Tissues

Theory provides an important complement to experiment in understanding the role of mechanical forces in plant growth and development, and the associated concepts underpin our interpretation of observations. In an area where biology, engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics converge, the individual researcher is likely to be challenged to step outside their area of primary expertise. To help open a few doors between disciplines, this chapter aims to show readers who may have some familiarity with basic mechanics how traditional approaches can be adapted to develop new theoretical models describing growing multicellular plant tissues. More mathematical material appears within a handful of Technical Comments that can be ignored by readers uncomfortable with unfamiliar notation. There is not space here to be fully comprehensive, and the topics presented are deliberately selective, influenced by the author's experience working on root growth.¹  A wider view of mechanical modelling of growing tissues is provided by Goriely;²  a number of plant-specific reviews are also available.^3–6