Abstract: Based on Lang's principle, a spatial coordinate apparatus was constructed to determine the spatial coordinates of maize canopies. According to the determinations, a general quadratic equation was proposed to characterize the curvature and shape of maize leaf, and the coefficients of the equation were determined by least square regression, which makes it possible to describe the true structure of maize colony with a few parameters. In addition, a computer-based three-dimensional reconstruction of maize canopy was realized, which provided a new method for studying agroecological system.

Key words: Mathematical description, Canopy, Three-dimensional reconstruction, Maize