Correlation analysis was carried out to establish relationship
among parameters. There was a significant positive
linear relationship between RGR and NAR recording a
correlation coefficient value of 0.6586 (Fig. 9a). RGR and
NAR displayed a very significant positive linear relationship
with plant total biomass (Fig. 9b) and a quadratic
relationship with total leaf area (Fig. 9c). In both relationships,
RGR depicted higher correlation coefficient
values than NAR with respective values of 0.7207 and
0.678 for total plant biomass and 0.5016 and 0.3829 for
total leaf area. The latter had weaker relationship with
RGR and NAR compared to the former as indicated by the
lower correlation coefficient. The increase in SLA reduced
RGR and NAR as indicated by the negative correlation
coefficients of -0.5167 and -0.4811, respectively
(Fig. 9d). Meanwhile, shoot to root ratio showed positive
linear relationship with RGR and NAR depicting values of
0.1668 and 0.1781, respectively (Fig. 10a). Leaf gas
exchange parameters of A (Fig. 10b) and WUE (Fig. 10c)
also recorded significant positive linear relationships with
RGR and NAR. Stronger linear relationship was observed
between net photosynthesis and RGR than the former with
NAR as translated by the respective correlation coefficients
of 0.6699 vs 0.6345. While A depicted a positive linear
relationship with WUE recording a high correlation value
(0.7124), its relationship with SLA was a quadratic
(0.3273; Fig. 10d). A stronger relationship between growth
(RGR and NAR) and WUE was observed in a significant
positive linear relationship (Fig. 10c) as indicated by the
high values of correlation coefficients at respective 0.9718
and 0.9343.