Remote Sensing of Plants by Streak Camera Lifetime Measurements of the Chlorophyll a Emissionα

• Published in: Journal of plant physiology Vol. 148; no. 5; pp. 638 - 644
• Main Authors: Sowinska, Malgorzata, Heisel, Francine, Miehë, Joseph Albert, Lang, Michael, Lichtenthaler, Hartmut K., Tomasini, François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 1996
• Subjects: Catalpa bignonioides WALT; CCD camera; chlorophyll fluorescence; fluorescence lifetimes; Pinus sylvestris L; Populus spec; streak camera; t m; CCD; t 1, t 22 and T 3; chlorophyll fluorescence; Pinus sylvestris L; CCD camera; R exp( t); I(t); Populus spec; Catalpa bignonioides WALT; fluorescence lifetimes; FWHM; F(t); streak camera
• ISSN: 0176-1617; 1618-1328
• DOI: 10.1016/S0176-1617(96)80085-X

The possibility of time resolved chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements using an intensified and gatedstreak camera was demonstrated on different plants at a distance of 40-80 m. The investigations, carried out in various experimental conditions: different target geometries (one planar leaf, tilted leaves, sparce foliage, separated levels of leaves), variable slit widths (0.1 to 1 mm) of the camera and measurements at different weather conditions have shown a good reproducibility of the results. The decay profiles were analyzed in order to obtain the best fit between the experimental curves and those obtained by convoluting the experimental response function R exp( t) with the theoretical emission law F( t) modelled by a sum of two or three exponentials. The mean value T mof the chlorophyll fluorescence lifetimes was determined for each experimental condition. For example for poplar leaves measured in October 1993, t m was equal to = 0.8 ns in the morning, decreased strongly to = 0.4 ns in midday and then slowly increased to 1.21 ns in the night.