Search Results (2)

Leaf biochemical traits indicating early symptoms of plant stress can be assessed using imaging spectroscopy combined with radiative transfer modelling (RTM). In this study, we assessed the potential applicability of the leaf radiative transfer model Fluspect-Cx to simulate optical properties and estimate leaf biochemical traits through inversion of two native Australian eucalypt species: Eucalyptus dalrympleana and E. delegetensis. The comparison of measured and simulated optical properties revealed the necessity to recalibrate the refractive index and specific absorption coefficients of the eucalypt leaves’ biochemical constituents. Subsequent validation of the modified Fluspect-Cx showed a closer agreement with the spectral measurements. The average root mean square error (RMSE) of reflectance, transmittance and absorptance values within the wavelength interval of 450–1600 nm was smaller than 1%. We compared the performance of both the original and recalibrated Fluspect-Cx versions through inversions aiming to simultaneously retrieve all model inputs from leaf optical properties with and without prior information. The inversion of recalibrated Fluspect-Cx constrained by laboratory-based measurements produced a superior accuracy in estimations of leaf water content (RMSE = 0.0013 cm, NRMSE = 6.55%) and dry matter content (RMSE = 0.0036 g·cm⁻², NRMSE = 21.28%). The estimation accuracies of chlorophyll content (RMSE = 8.46 µg·cm⁻², NRMSE = 24.73%), carotenoid content (RMSE = 3.83 µg·cm⁻², NRMSE = 30.82%) and anthocyanin content (RMSE = 1.69 µg·cm⁻², NRMSE = 37.12%) were only marginally better than for the inversion without any constraints. Additionally, we investigated the possibility to substitute the prior information derived in the laboratory by non-destructive reflectance-based spectral indices sensitive to the retrieved biochemical traits, resulting in the most accurate estimation of carotenoid content (RMSE = 3.65 µg·cm⁻², NRMSE = 29%). Future coupling of the recalibrated Fluspect with a forest canopy RTM is expected to facilitate retrieval of biophysical traits from spectral air/space-borne image data, allowing for assessing the actual physiological status and health of eucalypt forest canopies. Full article

Chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) is a useful indicator of plant photosynthesis and stress conditions. ChlF spectra can be simulated with the Fluspect model, which is a radiative transfer model that simulates leaf reflectance, transmittance, and fluorescence; however, it has never been used or validated under natural conditions. In this paper, a new fluorescence quantum yield efficiency of photosystem (FQE) retrieval method based on the Fluspect model is proposed for use in simulating ChlF in two healthy varieties of soybeans grown under natural conditions. The parameters, Chlorophyll a + b content (C_ab), carotenoid (C_ca), dry matter content (C_dm), indicator of leaf water content (C_w) and leaf mesophyll structure (N) and the simulated fluorescence from the experiment were compared with the measured values to validate the model under natural conditions. The results show a good correlation (coefficient of determination R² = 0.7–0.9) with the measured data at wavelengths of 650–880 nm. However, there is a large relative error (RE) that extends up to 150% at the peak of the fluorescence curve. To improve the accuracy of the simulation, an inversion code containing the emission efficiency parameters for photosystems I and II was added, which retrieves FQE I and II from the measured fluorescence spectra. The evaluation results for all wavelengths and two peaks demonstrated a significant reduction in the error at the peak of the curve by the Fluspect model with the FQE inversion code. This new method reduced the overestimation of fluorescence from 150% to 20% for the RE, and the R² value was higher than 0.9 at the spectra peaks. Additionally, the original plant parameter information remained mostly unchanged upon the addition of the inversion code. Full article