Relationships between chlorophyll potential of wheat crops and leaf area index of the plants based on reflectance spectra obtained by ground-based remote measurements

The purpose of this study was a comparative study of seasonal dynamics of chlorophyll potential, leaf area index and fresh biomass of different varieties of wheat based on refl ectance spectra obtained by ground-based remote measurements. The study reports data on seasonal dynamics of refl ectance of wheat canopies composed of various wheat cultivars in the Krasnoyarskii Krai. The study presents an optical remote method for determining chlorophyll potential, S(t), of wheat plants, which is calculated based on reflectance spectra of the crops during the growing season. Chlorophyll potential of wheat plants, S(t), may serve as an indicator of their physiological state and potential biological productivity; also, it can be used to predict grain yield of wheat fields. Different wheat cultivars have different chlorophyll potentials, S(t), during the growing season. There is high positive correlation between dry and fresh wheat biomass, and chlorophyll potential, S(t), of wheat plants. A digital database has been compiled, which contains spectral data of the wheat canopies studied.