Remote sensing of sulfur dioxide effects on vegetation: spectroradiometry

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5757942

Sapp, C D

Remote measurements of spectral reflectance were made in a laboratory to study sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) effects on the foliage of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants. The relationship between spectral reflectance and foliar injury from SO/sub 2/ was analyzed by separating injury into its components--chlorosis and necrosis--and reflectance into bands within the visible and near-infrared spectra. Results indicate that, for winter wheat, total visible reflectance as well as individual wavelength bands could be used to distinguish the SO/sub 2/ effects. Three classes of chlorosis and four classes of necrosis, based on severity, could be distinguished by their visible reflectance characteristics. These results indicate that remote sensors that measure visible reflectance may be able to distinguish moderate to severe injury to wheat from low altitudes. Scans of soybeans provided less positive results. There was no statistically significant (alpha = 0.05) difference among the means of blue, green, red, or near-infrared reflectance or the IR/R ratio when unaffected and chlorotic soybean classes were compared. However, significant (alpha = 0.05) differences in the means of green, red, and near-infrared reflectance (but not blue and the IR/R ratio) were found when unaffected and moderately to severely necrotic soybean classes were compared. Evidently, unless the SO/sub 2/ injury to soybeans involves necrosis, reflectance-measuring remote sensors are not likely to detect it from even a low-flying (approx. 500 m above ground level) airborne platform. The necrosis symptom is generally associated with severe levels of foliar injury, whereas chlorosis usually predominates at moderate and light levels.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL (USA). Office of Natural Resources
• OSTI ID: 5757942
• Report Number(s): PB-81-154064
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CEREALS
CHALCOGENIDES
FOOD
GRAMINEAE
GRASS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
REMOTE SENSING
SOYBEANS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
VEGETABLES
WHEAT