Plant Tissue Optics

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 14950

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Morphology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, Greece
Interests: photosynthesis and photoprotection under stress; plant tissue optics; role of secondary metabolites in plant stress tolerance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Morphology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece
Interests: Carbon cellular inclusions in plant physiology and stress tolerance; optical properties of plant tissues; drought stress and the role of secondary metabolites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant tissue optical properties are an important determinant of light energy harvest and of the interactions between plants and their environment.

This Special Issue focuses on the optical properties of plant organs/tissues, mainly leaves, related to photosynthesis and photoprotection, as well as properties probed by chlorophyll fluorescence or other suitable techniques. These include plant anatomy features viewed under the aforementioned perspective, photosynthesis studies, the use of optical or other probes to describe the organ internal light microenvironent and light propagation phenomena, modeling of the plant-light interaction and optical, spectral and photosynthetic parameters examined under an ecophysiological perspective.

Studies in applications of optical and spectral properties in remote sensing are considered as out of scope but studies of optical properties that are used as a theoretical basis of remote sensing applications are welcome. 

Dr. Lea Hallik
Prof. Dr. Georgios Liakopoulos
Prof. George Karabourniotis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant tissue optics
  • optical properties
  • plant-light interactions
  • plant anatomy
  • light energy harvest
  • photosynthesis
  • photoprotection
  • plant leaves
  • chlorophyll fluorescence
  • plant ecophysiology
  • light propagation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 8195 KiB  
Article
Linking Tissue Damage to Hyperspectral Reflectance for Non-Invasive Monitoring of Apple Fruit in Orchards
by Alexei Solovchenko, Alexei Dorokhov, Boris Shurygin, Alexandr Nikolenko, Vitaly Velichko, Igor Smirnov, Dmitriy Khort, Aleksandr Aksenov and Andrey Kuzin
Plants 2021, 10(2), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10020310 - 5 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3341
Abstract
Reflected light carries ample information about the biochemical composition, tissue architecture, and physiological condition of plants. Recent technical progress has paved the way for affordable imaging hyperspectrometers (IH) providing spatially resolved spectral information on plants on different levels, from individual plant organs to [...] Read more.
Reflected light carries ample information about the biochemical composition, tissue architecture, and physiological condition of plants. Recent technical progress has paved the way for affordable imaging hyperspectrometers (IH) providing spatially resolved spectral information on plants on different levels, from individual plant organs to communities. The extraction of sensible information from hyperspectral images is difficult due to inherent complexity of plant tissue and canopy optics, especially when recorded under ambient sunlight. We report on the changes in hyperspectral reflectance accompanying the accumulation of anthocyanins in healthy apple (cultivars Ligol, Gala, Golden Delicious) fruits as well as in fruits affected by pigment breakdown during sunscald development and phytopathogen attacks. The measurements made outdoors with a snapshot IH were compared with traditional “point-type” reflectance measured with a spectrophotometer under controlled illumination conditions. The spectra captured by the IH were suitable for processing using the approaches previously developed for “point-type” apple fruit and leaf reflectance spectra. The validity of this approach was tested by constructing a novel index mBRI (modified browning reflectance index) for detection of tissue damages on the background of the anthocyanin absorption. The index was suggested in the form of mBRI = (R640−1 + R800−1) − R678−1. Difficulties of the interpretation of fruit hyperspectral reflectance images recorded in situ are discussed with possible implications for plant physiology and precision horticulture practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Tissue Optics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 3036 KiB  
Review
The Optical Properties of Leaf Structural Elements and Their Contribution to Photosynthetic Performance and Photoprotection
by George Karabourniotis, Georgios Liakopoulos, Panagiota Bresta and Dimosthenis Nikolopoulos
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071455 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 56 | Viewed by 10649
Abstract
Leaves have evolved to effectively harvest light, and, in parallel, to balance photosynthetic CO2 assimilation with water losses. At times, leaves must operate under light limiting conditions while at other instances (temporally distant or even within seconds), the same leaves must modulate [...] Read more.
Leaves have evolved to effectively harvest light, and, in parallel, to balance photosynthetic CO2 assimilation with water losses. At times, leaves must operate under light limiting conditions while at other instances (temporally distant or even within seconds), the same leaves must modulate light capture to avoid photoinhibition and achieve a uniform internal light gradient. The light-harvesting capacity and the photosynthetic performance of a given leaf are both determined by the organization and the properties of its structural elements, with some of these having evolved as adaptations to stressful environments. In this respect, the present review focuses on the optical roles of particular leaf structural elements (the light capture module) while integrating their involvement in other important functional modules. Superficial leaf tissues (epidermis including cuticle) and structures (epidermal appendages such as trichomes) play a crucial role against light interception. The epidermis, together with the cuticle, behaves as a reflector, as a selective UV filter and, in some cases, each epidermal cell acts as a lens focusing light to the interior. Non glandular trichomes reflect a considerable part of the solar radiation and absorb mainly in the UV spectral band. Mesophyll photosynthetic tissues and biominerals are involved in the efficient propagation of light within the mesophyll. Bundle sheath extensions and sclereids transfer light to internal layers of the mesophyll, particularly important in thick and compact leaves or in leaves with a flutter habit. All of the aforementioned structural elements have been typically optimized during evolution for multiple functions, thus offering adaptive advantages in challenging environments. Hence, each particular leaf design incorporates suitable optical traits advantageously and cost-effectively with the other fundamental functions of the leaf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Tissue Optics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop