Remote estimation of nitrogen and chlorophyll contents in maize at leaf and canopy levels

•Leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll content were retrieved accurately from leaf reflectance spectra.•Canopy nitrogen and chlorophyll content were closely related.•Vegetation indices using green and red-edge spectral bands were used for accurate chlorophyll and nitrogen estimation at canopy level.•Optimal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of applied earth observation and geoinformation 2013-12, Vol.25, p.47-54
Main Authors: Schlemmer, M., Gitelson, A., Schepers, J., Ferguson, R., Peng, Y., Shanahan, J., Rundquist, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied geophysics
Chlorophyll
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Internal geophysics
Nitrogen
Reflectance
Remote sensing
Vegetation index
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Summary:•Leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll content were retrieved accurately from leaf reflectance spectra.•Canopy nitrogen and chlorophyll content were closely related.•Vegetation indices using green and red-edge spectral bands were used for accurate chlorophyll and nitrogen estimation at canopy level.•Optimal spectral bands found for nitrogen and chlorophyll estimation match well-spectral bands of near future space systems. Leaf and canopy nitrogen (N) status relates strongly to leaf and canopy chlorophyll (Chl) content. Remote sensing is a tool that has the potential to assess N content at leaf, plant, field, regional and global scales. In this study, remote sensing techniques were applied to estimate N and Chl contents of irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) fertilized at five N rates. Leaf N and Chl contents were determined using the red-edge chlorophyll index with R2 of 0.74 and 0.94, respectively. Results showed that at the canopy level, Chl and N contents can be accurately retrieved using green and red-edge Chl indices using near infrared (780–800nm) and either green (540–560nm) or red-edge (730–750nm) spectral bands. Spectral bands that were found optimal for Chl and N estimations coincide well with the red-edge band of the MSI sensor onboard the near future Sentinel-2 satellite. The coefficient of determination for the relationships between the red-edge chlorophyll index, simulated in Sentinel-2 bands, and Chl and N content was 0.90 and 0.87, respectively.
ISSN:1569-8432
1872-826X
DOI:10.1016/j.jag.2013.04.003