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Estimation of vertical distribution of chlorophyll concentration by bi-directional canopy reflectance spectra in winter wheat

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Abstract

An effective technique to measure foliage chlorophyll concentration (Chl) at a large scale and within a short time could be a powerful tool to determine fertilization amount for crop management. The objective of this study was to investigate the inversion of foliage Chl vertical-layer distribution by bi-directional reflectance difference function (BRDF) data, so as to provide a theoretical basis for monitoring the growth and development of winter wheat and for providing guidance on the application of fertilizer. Remote sensing could provide a powerful tool for large-area estimation of Chl. Because of the vertical distribution of leaves in a wheat stem, Chl vertical distribution characteristics show an obvious decreasing trend from the top of the canopy to the ground surface. The ratio of transformed chlorophyll absorption reflectance index (TCARI) to optimized soil adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) was called the canopy chlorophyll inversion index (CCII) in this study. The value of CCII at nadir, ±20 and ±30°, at nadir, ±30 and ±40°, and at nadir, ±50 and ±60° view angles were selected and assembled as bottom-layer Chl inversion index (BLCI), middle-layer Chl inversion index (MLCI), and upper-layer Chl inversion index (ULCI), respectively, for the inversion of Chl at the vertical bottom layer, middle layer, and upper layer. The root mean squared error (RMSE) between BLCI-, MLCI-, and ULCI-derived and laboratory-measured Chl were 0.7841, 0.9426, and 1.7398, respectively. The vertical foliage Chl inversion could be used to monitor the crop growth status and to guide fertilizer and irrigation management. The results suggested that vegetation indices derived from bi-directional reflectance spectra (e.g., BLCI, ULCI, and MLCI) were satisfactory for inversion of the Chl vertical distribution.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

Chlorophyll concentration

BRDF:

Bi-directional reflectance difference function

TCARI:

Transformed chlorophyll absorption reflectance index

CARI:

Chlorophyll absorption in reflectance index

OSAVI:

Optimized soil adjusted vegetation index

CCII:

TCARI/OSAVI

BLCI:

Bottom-layer Chl inversion index

MLCI:

Middle-layer Chl inversion index

ULCI:

Upper-layer Chl inversion index

RMSE:

The root mean squared error

LOV:

Leaf orientation value

LAD:

Leaf angle distribution

VZA:

View zenith angles

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Acknowledgments

This work was subsidized by the National High Tech R&D Program of China (2006AA10A302, 2006AA10Z203, 2008AA10Z214), National Natural Science Foundation of China (40701119, 40701120), and Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Project (2007CB714406, 2005CB121103). The authors are grateful to Mr. Weiguo Li, and Mrs. Hong Chang for data collection. We also thank Dr. Benjiamin Li for his editing and improving of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, P.O. Box 2449-26, Beijing, 100097, People’s Republic of China

    Wenjiang Huang, Zhijie Wang, Zhihong Ma, Jincheng Zhang, Jihua Wang & Chunjiang Zhao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Jointly Sponsored by the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100101, China

    Wenjiang Huang

  3. Precision Agriculture Research Group, School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia

    David W. Lamb

  4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada

    Zhijie Wang

  5. Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230039, China

    Linsheng Huang

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  1. Wenjiang Huang
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Correspondence to Wenjiang Huang.

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Wenjiang Huang is an associate professor of application of quantitative remote sensing in agriculture.

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Huang, W., Wang, Z., Huang, L. et al. Estimation of vertical distribution of chlorophyll concentration by bi-directional canopy reflectance spectra in winter wheat. Precision Agric 12, 165–178 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-010-9166-5

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