Characterization of whole plant leaf area properties using laser scanner point clouds

Whole plant leaf area properties were extracted from contrasting laser scanner point clouds of herbaceous plants and compared to information obtained by 3D magnetic digitization. Total leaf area and its spatial distribution were strongly related to the total number of scanned points and its spatial distribution. The calculations of normal directions allowed, to some extent, to infer the distribution of plant surfaces elevation angles. Together with the definition of an accurate plant boundary envelope, these data allowed the calculation of light interception as accurately as magnetic digitization by using simpler turbid medium plant representations.