Evaluating plant photosynthetic traits via absorption coefficient in the photosynthetically active radiation region

Absorption of radiation in the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) region is significantly influenced by plant biochemistry, structural properties, and photosynthetic pathway. To understand and quantify the effects of these traits on absorbed PAR it is necessary to develop practical and reliable tools that are sensitive to these traits. Using a semi-analytical modeling framework for deriving the absorption coefficient of plant canopies from reflectance spectra, we quantify the effects of functional, structural and biochemical traits of vegetation on the relationship between the absorption coefficient in the PAR region (αpar) with canopy characteristics such as the fraction of PAR absorbed by photosynthetically active vegetation (fAPARgreen) and chlorophyll (Chl) content. The reflectance dataset used in the study included simulated data obtained from a canopy reflectance model (PROSAIL) and empirical data on three diverse crop species with different leaf structures, canopy architectures and photosynthetic pathways (rice, maize and soybean) acquired at proximal (i.e., using field spectroradiometers) and remote (i.e., Landsat TM and ETM+) distances. Results show the usefulness of αpar derived from reflectance data for assessing not only the photosynthetic status of vegetation, but also the effects of different functional, structural and biochemical traits on plant performance. Furthermore, these assessments can be made using data acquired by satellite sensor systems such as the Landsat series, which are available since the 1980s, thus facilitating the analysis of the photosynthetic status of terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world with a high temporal depth. •Absorption coefficient in the PAR region, αpar, is retrieved from reflectance at close range and from Landsat imagery.•αpar is closely related to fAPARgreen, and to leaf and canopy chlorophyll content.•High sensitivity of αpar to plant traits makes it suitable for monitoring photosynthesis rates across different species.•Findings enable the use of global Landsat products to estimate photosynthetic status of terrestrial ecosystems.