Photosynthetica 2017, 55(4):603-610 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-016-0677-9

Feasibility of using smart phones to estimate chlorophyll content in corn plants

F. Vesali1, M. Omid1,*, H. Mobli1, A. Kaleita2
1 Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
2 Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, USA

New spectral absorption photometry methods are introduced to estimate chlorophyll (Chl) content of corn leaves by smart phones. The first method acquires light passing through a leaf by smartphone camera, compensating for differences in illumination conditions. In order to improve performance of the method, spectral absorption photometry (SAP) with background illumination has been considered as well. Data were acquired by smartphone camera in Iowa State University maize fields. Various indices were extracted and their correlation with Chl content were examined by Minolta SPAD-502. Hue index in SAP reached R 2 value of 0.59. However, with light-aided SAP (LASAP), R 2 of 0.97 was obtained. Among traits, the vegetation index gave the most accurate indication. We can conclude that the high performance of LASAP method for estimating Chl content, leads to new opportunities offered by smart phones at much lower cost. This is a highly accurate alternative to SPAD meters for estimating Chl content nondestructively.

Keywords: Android phone; color index; SPAD meter; spectral absorption photometry

Received: April 3, 2016; Accepted: September 20, 2016; Published: December 1, 2017Show citation

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Vesali, F., Omid, M., Mobli, H., & Kaleita, A. (2017). Feasibility of using smart phones to estimate chlorophyll content in corn plants. Photosynthetica, 55(4), 603-610. doi: 10.1007/s11099-016-0677-9.
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