I have already checked this question "https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/549504/is-an-article-required-before-a-math-variable" and understood that an article is not needed before a mathematical symbol that represents a physical quantity. Here is an example:
In our experiment, L of the tomato canopy gradually increased from April to June.
(L = leaf area index)
According to the answers given in "https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/549504/is-an-article-required-before-a-math-variable", using an article (i.e., the) before L is somewhat awkward because L should be regarded as a name.
Then, what if a physical quantity is represented by an abbreviation? Here is an example:
In our experiment, LAI of the tomato canopy gradually increased from April to June.
(LAI = leaf area index)
Should we place "the" in front of LAI, as shown below?
In our experiment, the LAI of the tomato canopy gradually increased from April to June.
