Analysis of Spectral Reflectance Characteristics of Forage Crops

The objective of this study was to investigate the basic relationships between spectral reflectance and growing period of forage crops. Ground-level spectral reflectance was collected in the field experiment containing plots of rye, whole-crop barley and Italian-ryegrass (IRG). We observed that spectral reflectance increases with SSC, first at the visible range, then in the red-edge range, and finally, in the near-infrared range; a characteristic maximum reflectance variation appears at 730-760 nm. The first derivative of reflectance spectra showed several peaks that were dependent in different degrees on chlorophyll concentration in the forage crops. Experimental data recorded on forage crops during the growing season are in good agreement with previous theoretical results. KCI Citation Count: 0