Using approximate Bayesian computation to infer photosynthesis model parameters

We developed a method, namely Adaptive Population Monte Carlo Approximate Bayesian Computation (APMC), to estimate the parameters of Farquhar photosynthesis model. Treating the canopy as a big leaf, we applied this method to derive the parameters at canopy scale. Validations against observational data showed that parameters estimated based on the APMC optimization are un-biased for predicting the photosynthesis rate. We conclude that APMC has greater advantages in estimating the model parameters than those of the conventional nonlinear regression models.