Agriculture faces the biggest challenge since
its emergence ten thousand years ago. It has to
meet an increasing demand of food and other
products and at the same time reduce environmental
impact (Andrade, 2011). To achieve this
unprecedented goal, higher crop yields must
be obtained in all cultivated environments
(Hall and Richards, 2013). Crop physiology, the
knowledge of factors and mechanisms that determine
crop growth and yield in interaction
with the environment, can provide conceptual
and practical tools to improve crop management
and breeding efficiency.