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Agricultural Sciences
Agronomy
1959
Intermediate

Richards Growth Curve

W=A(1−be−kt)MW = A(1 - be^{-kt})^M

Flexible sigmoid for organism growth with shape parameter M.

By F.J. Richards

Agricultural Sciences
Richards Growth Curve
1959 · F.J. Richards
Why it matters: Better fits real agricultural growth data than simple logistic.

Discoverers: F.J. Richards (1959)

What does it mean?

Flexible sigmoid for organism growth with shape parameter M.

Why should I care?

Better fits real agricultural growth data than simple logistic.

Variables & Units

SymbolNameUnitMeaning
WWWeight/Yield—Biomass or yield
AAAsymptote—Maximum size
kkGrowth rate—Rate parameter
MMShape—Flexibility parameter

Worked Example

Fit to wheat biomass over growing season.

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Richards Growth Curve

W=A(1−be−kt)MW = A(1 - be^{-kt})^M

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Flexible sigmoid for organism growth with shape parameter M.

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