Imaging chlorophyll fluorescence with an airborne narrow-band multispectral camera for vegetation stress detection

Progress in assessing the feasibility for imaging fluorescence using the O2-A band with 1 nm full-width half-maximum (FWHM) bands centered at 757.5 and 760.5 nm is reported in this paper. Multispectral airborne data was acquired at 150 m above ground level in the thermal, visible and near infrared regions yielding imagery at 15 cm spatial resolution. Simultaneous field experiments conducted in olive, peach, and orange orchards (water stress trials), and an olive orchard (variety trial) enabled the detected variability in fluorescence emission to be examined as function of stress status. In a parallel modelling activity the coupled leaf–canopy reflectance–fluorescence model, FluorMOD, was used to assess fluorescence retrieval capability by the in-filling method, as well as by fluorescence indices from the published literature. Fluorescence retrievals using the in-filling method, the derivative index D702/D680 and reflectance indices R690/R630, R761–R757, and R761/R757 yielded the best results in the simulation study, while demonstrating insensitivity to leaf area index (LAI) variation. The fluorescence in-filling method, derivative index D702/D680, and R761–R757 were the indices least affected by chlorophyll a + b (Cab) variation. On the other hand, other published indices for fluorescence detection at leaf and canopy levels exhibited high sensitivity to variations in Cab and LAI, and therefore were considered less suitable for in-field fluorescence detection. The fluorescence signal extraction from airborne imagery using the in-filling method was validated through comparisons with field-measured steady-state fluorescence (Fs) using the PAM-2100 and GFS-3000 instruments, confirming simulation predictions. The water stress experiments conducted on olive and peach orchards demonstrated the feasibility of chlorophyll fluorescence (F) extraction at the tree level from the airborne imagery, yielding determination coefficients r2 = 0.57 (olive), and r2 = 0.54 (peach). Consistent results were obtained between airborne F and ground truth assimilation (A) measured in the olive variety field experiment under no water stress levels, yielding r2 = 0.71.