Best hyperspectral indices for assessing leaf chlorophyll content in a degraded temperate vegetation

Extensive studies have focused on assessing leaf chlorophyll content through spectral indices; however, the accuracy is weakened by limited wavebands and coarse resolution. With hundreds of wavebands, hyperspectral data can substantially capture the essential absorption features of leaf chlorophyll; however, few such studies have been conducted on same species in various degraded vegetations. In this investigation, complete combinations of either original reflectance or first‐order derivative spectra we conducted a complete combination on either original reflectance or its first‐order derivative value from 350 to 1000 nm to quantify leaf total chlorophyll (Chll), chlorophyll‐a (Chla), and chlorophyll‐b (Chlb) contents. This was performed using three hyperspectral datasets collected in situ from lightly, moderately, and severely degraded vegetations in temperate Helin County, China. Suitable combinations were selected by comparing the numbers of significant correlation coefficients with leaf Chll, Chla, and Chlb contents. The combinations of reflectance difference (D_ij), normalized differences (ND), first‐order derivative (FD), and first‐order derivative difference (FD(D)) were found to be the most effective. These sensitive band‐based combinations were further optimized by means of a stepwise linear regression analysis and were compared with 43 empirical spectral indices, frequently used in the literature. These sensitive band‐based combinations on hyperspectral data proved to be the most effective indices for quantifying leaf chlorophyll content (R² > 0.7, p < 0.01), demonstrating great potential for the use of hyperspectral data in monitoring degraded vegetation at a fine scale.     

植被叶片及冠层层次含水量估算模型的建立

利用LOPEX'93数据库中7个鲜叶片含水量(Cw)和光谱反射率实测数据,基于光谱指数法,在叶片层次,用47个随机样本建立Cw与不同光谱指数的统计模型,并用另外20个样本验证.结果表明,Cw的两种表征形式相对含水量FMC和等价水深EWT在提取叶片Cw时差异较大,EWT与各光谱指数的相关性较FMC高,但FMC对叶片Cw的反演精度高于EWT.而反演精度更高的是基于最优子集回归建立的光谱指数线性模型.Ratio₉₇₅是叶片层次提取Cw的普适光谱指数.冠层层次,利用PROSPECT+SAILH耦合模型,模拟在不同叶面积指数LAI和Cw下的冠层光谱.为了剔除背景影响,更好地提取冠层Cw,提出用近红外和短波红外波段反射率构造土壤可调节水分指数(SAWI),该指数与其他光谱指数的比值能明显地剔除土壤背景影响,更准确地提取冠层Cw.Ratio₉₇₅的改进型光谱指数(Ratio₉₇₅-0.9)/(SAWI+0.2)能用来提取叶面积指数LAI从0.3到8.0,Cw从0.0001cm到0.07cm的冠层Cw,研究表明精度较高.     

MODIS植被指数与水稻叶面积指数及叶片叶绿素含量相关性研究

利用光谱分辨率为3nm的ASD FieldSpec UV／VNIR光谱仪获得了2002和2003年水稻整个生长期的高光谱数据,同时对水稻叶面积指数(LAI)和叶绿素含量(CHL．Ｃ)进行了测定,对中分辨率成像光谱仪(MODIS)的增强植被指数(EVI)、归一化植被指数(NＤVI)以及红边位置(REP)与LAI及CHL．C之间的关系进行了研究．结果表明。LAI与冠层光谱在可见光、近红外波段相关性较好,叶绿素含量与冠层光谱在红光波段相关性较好．EVI、REP和LAI之间的相关关系不受水稻覆盖率的影响;NDVI与LAI的相关关系在水稻低覆盖率情况下较好;在水稻高覆盖率情况下。EVI和REP比NDVI与LAI之间的相关关系要好．MODIS-NDVI、EVI及REP与叶片叶绿素含量相关性较好．由此可见,EVI和REP可以有效地监测水稻LAI和CHL．C．     

Simple and robust methods for remote sensing of canopy chlorophyll content: a comparative analysis of hyperspectral data for different types of vegetation

Canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) is an essential ecophysiological variable for photosynthetic functioning. Remote sensing of CCC is vital for a wide range of ecological and agricultural applications. The objectives of this study were to explore simple and robust algorithms for spectral assessment of CCC. Hyperspectral datasets for six vegetation types (rice, wheat, corn, soybean, sugar beet and natural grass) acquired in four locations (Japan, France, Italy and USA) were analysed. To explore the best predictive model, spectral index approaches using the entire wavebands and multivariable regression approaches were employed. The comprehensive analysis elucidated the accuracy, linearity, sensitivity and applicability of various spectral models. Multivariable regression models using many wavebands proved inferior in applicability to different datasets. A simple model using the ratio spectral index (RSI; R815, R704) with the reflectance at 815 and 704 nm showed the highest accuracy and applicability. Simulation analysis using a physically based reflectance model suggested the biophysical soundness of the results. The model would work as a robust algorithm for canopy‐chlorophyll‐metre and/or remote sensing of CCC in ecosystem and regional scales. The predictive‐ability maps using hyperspectral data allow not only evaluation of the relative significance of wavebands in various sensors but also selection of the optimal wavelengths and effective bandwidths.     

高光谱植被指数与水稻叶面积指数的定量关系

基于不同水稻品种、施氮水平和不同生育期下的大田试验,确立了水稻叶面积指数（LAI）与冠层光谱特征参数的定量关系.结果表明：水稻叶面积指数与部分高光谱植被指数存在良好的相关性,其中原始光谱组成的2波段差值指数（DI）形式相关性最好,其次为比值（RI）和归一化（NI）植被指数.相关最好的原始光谱植被指数是由近红外波段组成的差值指数DI(854,760),相关最好的一阶导数光谱植被指数是红光和近红外光组成的导数差值指数DI(D₆₇₆, D₇₇₈),但总体上导数光谱指数不如原始光谱指数与LAI关系密切.独立试验数据检验结果表明,以差值指数DI(854,760)为变量建立的水稻LAI监测模型具有较好的表现,可用于水稻LAI的估测.     

植被叶面积指数遥感监测模型

叶面积指数是植被定量遥感的重要参数,区域的时序列叶面积指数揭示了区域生态的演化过程,反演方法上主要是通过植被指数建立相关模型实现的,对于不同地区或不同气候带而言,模型的通用性以及各种植被指数在模型中的灵敏度都需做进一步的探讨。以江苏省宜兴市作为研究区,采用2002年8月22日获得的Landsat-5TM图像数据和2003年8月23～26日采用LAI-2000进行的野外实测植被叶面积指数(LAI)数据,分别探讨了植被指数(VI)与LAI的一元、多元线性回归模型和非线性回归模型,其中的非线性回归模型包括对数、指数、乘幂和多项式回归模型。结果表明,VI与LAI之间的最佳回归模型为多元线性回归模型,R2达0.864;采用逐步选择剔除法,遴选出了用于回归模型的植被指数为RVI、PVI、SAVIL=0.35、MSAVI、ARVIγ=1、ARVIγ=0.5和SARVI。经模型LAI=-ln((VI-VI∞)/(VIg-VI∞))/KVI检验,预测值(y)与实测值(x)的拟合度较好y=0.5345x 1.3304,R2为0.7379。RVI与LAI的三次多项式回归模型也较好,R2为0.7806。再次为RVI与LAI的一元线性回归模型,R2为0.7726,比值植被指数RVI在反演叶面积指数模型中具有较高的灵敏度。     

小麦叶面积指数与冠层反射光谱的定量关系

在分析不同氮素水平下小麦叶面积指数（LAI）和冠层光谱反射率随生育期变化模式的基础上,确立了LAI与冠层光谱反射率及光谱参数的相关关系,提出了小麦LAI的敏感光谱参数及预测方程.结果表明,小麦LAI和近红外短波段（760～1 220 nm）反射率都随施氮量的增加呈上升趋势,可见光波段反射率则相反;从拔节期到成熟期,LAI和近红外短波段反射率均表现为先上升后下降的趋势,而可见光波段（460～710 nm）反射率随生育期的推进先降低后升高,以孕穗期反射率最低,近红外长波段区域（1 480～1 650 nm）反射率的变化与可见光部分相同.LAI与可见光波段反射率呈负相关,与近红外短波段反射率呈极显著正相关,其中以810 nm相关性最好.可以选择RVI(810,510)和DVI(810,560)作为反演小麦LAI的光谱参数.另外,在证明垂直植被指数PVI和转换型土壤调整指数TSAVI对LAI预测能力的同时,发现利用RVI(810,510)、DVI(810,560)和PVI 3个植被指数共同推算小麦LAI的准确度更高.     

Plastic changes of leaf mass per area and leaf nitrogen content in response to canopy openings in saplings of eight deciduous broad-leaved tree species

Leaf nitrogen content per area (N_area) is a good indicator of assimilative capacity of leaves of deciduous broad-leaved trees. This study examined the degrees of increase in N_area in response to canopy openings as leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf nitrogen content per mass (N_mass) in saplings of eight deciduous broad-leaved tree species in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Five of the species were well-branched species with a large number of small leaves (lateral-growth type), and the other three species were less-branched species with a small number of large leaves (vertical-growth type). The degrees of increase in N_area were compared between the two crown types. In closed-canopy conditions, leaves of the vertical-growth species tended to have a lower LMA and higher N_mass than those of the lateral-growth species, which resulted in similar N_area for both. LMA increased in canopy openings in the eight species, and the degrees of increase were not largely different between the lateral- and vertical-growth species. On the contrary, N_mass was unchanged in canopy openings in the eight species. As a result, N_area of each species increased in canopy openings in proportion to the increase in LMA, and the degrees of increase in N_area were similar in the lateral- and vertical-growth species. Therefore, this study showed that the degrees of increase in N_area were not correlated with the crown architecture (i.e., the lateral- and vertical-growth types).     

小麦冠层反射光谱与植株水分状况的关系

研究了不同土壤水、氮条件下小麦冠层光谱反射特征与叶片和植株水分状况的相关性．结果表明,在小麦主要生育期,冠层叶片含水率与460～510、610～680和1480～1500nm波段范围内的光谱反射率有较高的相关性,植株含水率与810～870nm波段范围内的光谱反射率密切相关．在整个生长期内,小麦冠层叶片含水率与460～1500nm波段范围内的光谱反射率均有良好相关性,植株含水率与560～1480nm波段范围内光谱反射率的相关性均达到极显著水平．冠层叶片(CL)、上层叶(UL)和下层叶片(LL)含水率与光谱指数的相关程度为CL>LL>UL．冠层叶片和植株含水率与比值指(R(610,560))和光谱指数(R(610,560)／ND(810,610))呈极显著线性负相关,与归一化指数((R810-R610)／(R810+R610))呈极显著线性正相关．其中,用光谱指数(R(610,560)／ND(810,610))监测不同生育期小麦冠层叶片和植株含水率的效果最好。     

Spectral vegetation indices as the indicator of canopy photosynthetic productivity in a deciduous broadleaf forest

Aims Understanding of the ecophysiological dynamics of forest canopy photosynthesis and its spatial and temporal scaling is crucial for revealing ecological response to climate change. Combined observations and analyses of plant ecophysiology and optical remote sensing would enable us to achieve these studies. In order to examine the utility of spectral vegetation indices (VIs) for assessing ecosystem-level photosynthesis, we investigated the relationships between canopy-scale photosynthetic productivity and canopy spectral reflectance over seasons for 5 years in a cool, temperate deciduous broadleaf forest at 'Takayama' super site in central Japan.Methods Daily photosynthetic capacity was assessed by in situ canopy leaf area index (LAI), (LAI × V cmax [single-leaf photosynthetic capacity]), and the daily maximum rate of gross primary production (GPP max) was estimated by an ecosystem carbon cycle model. We examined five VIs: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), green–red vegetation index (GRVI), chlorophyll index (CI) and canopy chlorophyll index (CCI), which were obtained by the in situ measurements of canopy spectral reflectance.Important findings Our in situ observation of leaf and canopy characteristics, which were analyzed by an ecosystem carbon cycling model, revealed that their phenological changes are responsible for seasonal and interannual variations in canopy photosynthesis. Significant correlations were found between the five VIs and canopy photosynthetic capacity over the seasons and years; four of the VIs showed hysteresis-type relationships and only CCI showed rather linear relationship. Among the VIs examined, we applied EVI–GPP max relationship to EVI data obtained by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer to estimate the temporal and spatial variation in GPP max over central Japan. Our findings would improve the accuracy of satellite-based estimate of forest photosynthetic productivity in fine spatial and temporal resolutions, which are necessary for detecting any response of terrestrial ecosystem to meteorological fluctuations.     

Analysis of the relationship between the spectral characteristics of maize canopy and leaf area index under drought stress

Maize is one of the most widespread grain crops in the world; however, more than 70% of corn in China suffers some degree of drought disaster every year. Leaf area index (LAI) is an important biophysical parameter of the vegetation canopy and has important significance for crop yield estimation. Using the data of canopy spectral reflectance and leaf area index (LAI) for maize plants experiencing different levels of soil moisture from 2011 to 2012, the characteristics of the canopy reflective spectrum and its first derivative, and their relationships to leaf area index, were analyzed. Soil moisture of the control group was about 75% while that of the drought stress treatment was about 45%. In addition, LAI retrieval models for maize were established using vegetation indices (VIs) and principal component analysis (PCA) and the models were tested using independent datasets representing different soil water contents and different developmental stages of maize. The results showed that canopy spectral reflectances were in accordance with the characteristics of green plants, under both drought stress and at different developmental stages. In the visible band, canopy reflectance for both healthy and damaged vegetation had a green-wavelength peak and a red-wavelength valley; reflectance under drought stress, especially in the green peak (about 550 nm) and the red valley (about 676 nm) was higher than in the control group. In the near-infrared band, the canopy spectral reflectance decreased substantially between 780 and 1350 nm under drought stress. Moreover, the red edge of the spectrum was shifted toward blue wavelengths. The first derivative spectrum showed a double peak phenomenon at the edge of the red band at different developmental stages: the main peak appeared between 728 and 732 nm and the minor peak at about 718 nm. The double peaks become more obvious through the growth and development of the maize, with the most notable effect during the silking and milk stages, after which it gradually decreased. During maize growth, the LAI of all plants, regardless of soil moisture conditions, increased, and the largest LAI also occurred during the silking and milk stages. During those stages, the LAI of plants under different drought stress levels was significantly lower (by 20% or more) than in normal plants with sufficient water supplies. The LAI was highly significantly correlated with canopy spectral reflectance in the bands from 350 nm to 510 nm, from 571 nm to 716 nm, and from 1450 nm to 1575 nm. Also, the LAI was significantly correlated with red edge parameters and several VIs. The Perpendicular Vegetation Index (PVI) had the best correlation with LAI, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.726 for the exponential correlation. Using dependent data, a LAI monitoring model for the maize canopy was constructed using PCA and VI methods. The test results showed that both the VI and PCA methods of monitoring maize LAI could provide robust estimates, with the predicted values of LAI being significantly correlated with the measured values. The model based on PVI showed higher precision under the drought stresses, with a correlation coefficient of 0.893 (n = 27), while the model based on PCA was more precise under conditions of adequate soil moisture, with a correlation coefficient of 0.877 (n = 32). Therefore, a synthesis of the models based on both VI and PCA could be more reliable for precisely predicting LAI under different levels of drought stresses in maize.     

Estimation of the leaf chlorophyll content using multiangular spectral reflectance factor

Chlorophyll is one of the primary pigments of plant leaves, and changes in its content can be used to characterize the physiological status of plants. Spectral indices have been devised and validated for estimating leaf chlorophyll content (LCC). However, most of the existing spectral indices do not consider the influence of angular reflection on the accuracy of the LCC estimation. In this study, the spectral reflectance factors of leaves from three plant species were measured from several observations in the principal plane. The relationship between the existing spectral indices and the LCC from different directions suggests that the directional reflection of a leaf surface impacts the accuracy of its LCC estimation. Subsequently, the ratio of reflectance differences, that is, the modified Datt index, was tested to reduce the directional reflection effect when predicting LCC. Our results indicated that the modified Datt index not only estimated LCC with high accuracy for all observation directions and plant species but also consistently predicted the LCC of each species in individual observation directions. Our method opens the possibility for optical detection of LCC using multiangular spectral reflection, which is convenient for plant science studies focused on the variation in LCC.     

基于多角度植被指数的马尾松林LAI反演方法

CHRIS/PROBA是目前具有最高空间分辨率（17 m×17 m）的星载多角度高光谱数据,该款数据在反演植被垂直结构参数,如树高、叶面积指数（leaf area index,LAI）等方面具有重要的应用前景。基于四尺度几何光学模型得到马尾松（Pinus massoniana Lamb.）冠层的归一化差分植被指数（normalized difference vegetation index,NDVI）各向异性分布规律,利用CHRIS红光特征波段和近红外特征波段构建一种新型多角度植被指数（normalized hotspot-dark-spot difference vegetation index,NHDVI）,并将其应用于CHRIS数据对马尾松林的LAI遥感估算上。结果显示：（1）相比归一化差分植被指数（NDVI）与土壤调节植被指数（soil adjusted vegetation index,SAVI）而言,NHDVI能很好地融合光谱信息与角度信息,与地面实测LAI的决定系数达到0.7278;（2）利用NHDVI-LAI统计回归模型方法来反演LAI值,将得到的LAI值与地面实测值进行相关性分析,结果拟合优度达到0.8272,均方根误差RMSE为0.1232。与传统植被指数相比,包含角度信息的多角度植被指数对LAI的反演在精度上有较大提升,同时比基于辐射传输模型的反演方法更简易、实用。     

Dynamics of leaf area and nitrogen in the canopy of an annual herb, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthium canadense</Emphasis>

We studied leaf area and nitrogen dynamics in the canopy of stands of an annual herb Xanthium canadense, grown at a high (HN)- and a low-nitorgen (LN) availability. Standing leaf area increased continuously through the vegetative growth period in the LN stand, or leveled off in the later stage in the HN stand. When scaled against standing leaf area, both production and loss rates of leaf area increased but with different patterns: the production rate was retarded, while the loss rate was accelerated, implying an upper limit of standing leaf area of the canopy. The rate of leaf-area production was higher in the HN than in the LN stand, which was caused by the higher rate of leaf production per standing leaf area as well as the greater standing leaf area in the HN stand. Although the rate of leaf-area loss was higher in the HN than in the LN stand, it was not significantly different between the two stands when compared at a common standing leaf area, suggesting involvement of light climate in determination of the leaf-loss rate. On the other hand, the rate of leaf-area loss was positively correlated with nitrogen demand for leaf area development across the two stands, suggesting that leaf loss was caused by retranslocation of nitrogen for construction of new leaves. A simple simulation model of leaf and nitrogen dynamics in the canopy showed that, at steady state, where the rate of leaf-area loss becomes equal to the production rate, the standing leaf area was still greater in the HN than in the LN stand. Similarly, when the uptake and loss of nitrogen are equilibrated, the standing nitrogen was greater in the HN than in the LN stand. These results suggest that leaf-area production is strongly controlled by nitrogen availability, while both nitrogen and light climate determine leaf-loss rates in the canopy.     

The independent detection of drought stress and leaf density using hyperspectral resolution data

Measurement of vegetation drought stress or leaf density is essential in ecosystem and agronomic studies. The normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI), a widely used vegetation index in remote sensing, seems to have some limitations as it is known to be affected by both drought stress and leaf density. A field experiment was conducted, using two-year-old potted Quercus serrata (a deciduous tree) and Q. glauca (an evergreen tree), to determine the optimal indices of vegetation drought stress or leaf density that have the least a simultaneous effect, and to test if the existing vegetation indices are useful for independently detecting drought stress or leaf density. The results showed that NDVI and similar indices, which utilize the difference or ratio between the reflectance of red and near infrared bands, such as the ratio vegetation index (RVI), the difference vegetation index (DVI), the atmospherically resistant vegetation index (ARVI), the renormalized difference vegetation index (RDVI), the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), the perpendicular vegetation index (PVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and the improved variants of SAVI, were effective for the independent detection of leaf density but relatively ineffective for drought stress because they were significantly affected by leaf area index (LAI). Similarly, vegetation indices developed as detectors of vegetation stress, such as the water index (WI), the stress index (SI) and the derivative chlorophyll index (DCI), showed weak correlation (r) and partial correlation (r _p) with leaf water content (LWC). The optimal hyperspectral indices were proposed as (F _502.8 − F _852.0)/(F _502.8 + F _852.0) for LWC (r = 0.847, r _p = 0.849) and R ₇₅₀/R ₅₅₀ (R750R550; Lichtenthaler et al. in J Plant Physiol 148:483–493, 1996) for LAI (r = 0.926, r _p = 0.940) where R _λ and F _λ represent reflectance and first derivatives at wavelength λ nm, respectively. A simulation of lower spectral sampling intervals (ca. 3-nm intervals of original to 10-nm intervals) indicated that it will be necessary to check the appropriateness of the derivative indices approximate to the proposed indices before application because derivative spectra are less smooth as a function of wavelength than reflectance spectra.     

Estimation of wetland vegetation height and leaf area index using airborne laser scanning data

Wetland vegetation is a core component of wetland ecosystems. Wetland vegetation structural parameters, such as height and leaf area index (LAI) are important variables required by earth-system and ecosystem models. Therefore, rapid, accurate, objective and quantitative estimations of wetland vegetation structural parameters are essential. The airborne laser scanning (also called LiDAR) is an active remote sensing technology and can provide accurate vertical vegetation structural parameters, but its accuracy is limited by short, dense vegetation canopies that are typical of wetland environments. The objective of this research is to explore the potential of estimating height and LAI for short wetland vegetation using airborne discrete-return LiDAR data.The accuracies of raw laser points and LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (DEM) data were assessed using field GPS measured ground elevations. The results demonstrated very high accuracy of 0.09 m in raw laser points and the root mean squared error (RMSE) of the LiDAR-derived DEM was 0.15 m.Vegetation canopy height was estimated from LiDAR data using a canopy height model (CHM) and regression analysis between field-measured vegetation heights and the standard deviation (σ) of detrended LiDAR heights. The results showed that the actual height of short wetland vegetation could not be accurately estimated using the raster CHM vegetation height. However, a strong relationship was observed between the σ and the field-measured height of short wetland vegetation and the highest correlation occurred (R² = 0.85, RMSE = 0.14 m) when sample radius was 1.50 m. The accuracy assessment of the best-constructed vegetation height prediction model was conducted using 25 samples that were not used in the regression analysis and the results indicated that the model was reliable and accurate (R² = 0.84, RMSE = 0.14 m).Wetland vegetation LAI was estimated using laser penetration index (LPI) and LiDAR-predicted vegetation height. The results showed that the vegetation height-based predictive model (R² = 0.79) was more accurate than the LPI-based model (the highest R² was 0.70). Moreover, the LAI predictive model based on vegetation height was validated using the leave-one-out cross-validation method and the results showed that the LAI predictive model had a good generalization capability. Overall, the results from this study indicate that LiDAR has a great potential to estimate plant height and LAI for short wetland vegetation.     

烤烟冠层光谱参数与叶片叶绿素含量的相关分析

为了明确烤烟冠层光谱参数与叶片叶绿素含量的相关性,测定了不同氮肥施用量条件下烤烟冠层光谱特征和烤烟鲜烟叶片叶绿素a(Chl-a)、叶绿素b(Chl-b)、类胡萝卜素(Cars)含量,并对光谱参数与叶绿素含量进行了相关分析和回归分析。结果表明:随着氮肥施用量增加,团棵期和旺长期鲜烟叶片的Chl-a、Chl-b和Cars含量均增加,可见光波段反射率降低、近红外波段反射率增加;而打顶期叶片的3种色素含量和光谱特征的变化规律不明显。可见光460～670nm范围内,460nm反射率与叶片叶绿素含量呈显著正相关,其他波段反射率与叶片叶绿素的含量呈显著负相关;近红外780～1260nm范围内,所有波段与叶片叶绿素含量的都呈显著正相关,1480nm反射率与叶片叶绿素含量呈显著负相关。反映Chl-a、Chl-b、Cars含量与光谱参数——比值植被指数(ratio vegetation index,RVI)定量关系的最佳回归方程分别为幂函数、幂函数和指数函数:Chl-a=0.250RVI(730,550)1.511,Chl-b=0.049RVI(730,550)1.841,Cars=0.0998e0.379RVI(730,550)。     

Plastid structure and chlorophyll content in leaf primordia of onion bulbs

Angiosperms do not synthesize chlorophyll in the dark. Here we show that leaf primordia in onion bulbs are green, though they developing in dark conditions. We present results that show plastids in green primordia are chloroplasts, and that they contain chlorophyll as well as embryos in seeds of certain angiosperms.     

Threshold values of canopy reflectance indices and chlorophyll meter readings for optimal nitrogen nutrition of tomato

Sustainable and optimal economic N management requires correct and timely on‐farm assessment of crop N status to detect N deficiency or excess. Optical sensors are promising tools to assess crop N status throughout a crop or at critical times. The ability of optical sensor measurements of canopy reflectance (Crop Circle ACS 470) and leaf chlorophyll (SPAD 502 chlorophyll meter) to assess crop N status was evaluated weekly throughout an indeterminate tomato crop. Strong linear relationships with the optical sensor measurements were obtained, throughout most of the crop, for both (a) crop N content for ranges of 1.5–4.5%, and (b) the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) for ranges of 0.4–1.3. The relationships of the optical sensor measurements to crop NNI were generally equal to or slightly better than with crop N content. Indices based on reflectance in the red, the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the red vegetation index (RVI), were the best predictors of crop N status in terms of goodness of fit, earliness and maintenance of relationships throughout the crop. SPAD chlorophyll readings and reflectance indices based on reflectance in the green, the normalised difference vegetation index on greenness (GNDVI) and the green vegetation index (GVI), were good indicators of crop N status for most of the crop, but with lower goodness of fit in the latter part of the crop. The linear relationships between sensor indices and readings with NNI or crop N content, each week, demonstrated the potential for using proximal canopy reflectance indices such as NDVI and RVI, and chlorophyll meter for monitoring crop N status of indeterminate tomato crops. Threshold values for optimal crop N nutrition for canopy reflectance indices and for chlorophyll meter readings were derived for each day of measurement from the relationships between optical sensor measurements and NNI by solving for NNI = 1. The threshold values obtained for each index and type of measurement varied during the crop cycle. The approach developed for determining threshold values from NNI can facilitate on‐farm use of optical sensors for monitoring crop N status, by enabling assessment of whether crop N status is excessive, deficient or adequate.     

秦巴山地植被冠层降雨截留时空分异特征及驱动因素

冠层截留研究对于了解区域水资源分配和评估生态水文功能至关重要,山地复杂多样的环境使其存在较大的不确定性,遥感的发展为揭示山地系统冠层截留的特征提供了机遇。以秦巴山地为研究区,基于降雨数据和叶面积指数遥感数据,耦合植被冠层降雨截留模型,定量模拟和分析秦巴山地2003-2020年植被冠层降雨截留能力及其时空变化特征,并验证其精确性;采用地理探测器、相关分析和约束线法探究冠层截留的驱动因素。结果表明:(1) 与PML_V2数据集和实测数据相比,3.5以下的均方根误差和0.75以上的有效系数证实了A.P.J.DE ROO模型模拟的可靠性。(2) 近18年截留量和截留率整体呈上升趋势,截留率在2015年发生逆转,由增(0.08%/a)向减(-0.15%/a)转变。(3) 秦巴山地冠层截留总体上呈西部高山区和东北部边缘低,秦岭和大巴山区高的空间格局,其随海拔上升呈现"上升-稳定-下降"的分布特征;空间变化以上升趋势为主,显著下降的区域主要分布在汉江河谷的中心;低海拔区域变化差异较大,中海拔区域以显著增加为主,高海拔区域无显著变化。(4) 叶面积指数和降雨量是影响冠层截留的主要因子,约束关系分别为正线型和正凸型;阔叶林截留率与小降雨事件的相关性高,针叶林、灌丛截留率与强降雨事件相关性较强,气候因子对冠层截留的影响在类别和解释程度上存在空间差异。研究可为区域尺度冠层截留的估测提供思路,且有助于评估气候变化背景下生态系统对水循环的影响。