Articles
Relationships between canopy radiation interception and LiDAR-derived geometry features in pome and stone fruit
Article number
1395_11
Pages
79 – 86
Language
English
Abstract
Solar radiation is a fundamental resource for the productivity of horticultural crops.
Traditional methods to measure fractional canopy radiation interception (fPARi) rely on the use of ceptometers or light trolleys.
Advances in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensing suggest that this technology can be used to estimate fPARi in orchards.
This study aimed to establish relationships between LiDAR-derived estimates of canopy geometry obtained with the commercial platform Cartographer (Green Atlas) and fPARi in apple, pear, peach, nectarine, plum and apricot and to assess the underlying effects of orchard characteristics such as crop, canopy design, row orientation, row spacing and tree density.
The study was carried out in the experimental orchards of the Tatura SmartFarm over 2021-22 and 2022-23. Among the parameters obtained with Cartographer, cross-sectional leaf area (CSLA) had the most robust relationship with fPARi. N-S oriented apple tree canopies intercepted 14, 17 and 23% more radiation per unit of CSLA than NW-SE, NE-SW and E-W canopies, respectively.
Fractional cross-sectional leaf area (fCSLA), defined as the ratio between CSLA and the product of row spacing and canopy height, could be used as a simple predictor of fPARi, although the relationship was not very robust NDASH i.e., coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 0.62 and 0.06, respectively.
A substantial improvement of fPARi prediction (R2=0.94 and RMSE=0.03) was achieved with a multiple regression model that used CSLA, canopy height, crop, tree age, canopy design and row orientation as predictors.
Overall, the technology used in this study was successfully used for accurate estimates of fPARi.
Traditional methods to measure fractional canopy radiation interception (fPARi) rely on the use of ceptometers or light trolleys.
Advances in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensing suggest that this technology can be used to estimate fPARi in orchards.
This study aimed to establish relationships between LiDAR-derived estimates of canopy geometry obtained with the commercial platform Cartographer (Green Atlas) and fPARi in apple, pear, peach, nectarine, plum and apricot and to assess the underlying effects of orchard characteristics such as crop, canopy design, row orientation, row spacing and tree density.
The study was carried out in the experimental orchards of the Tatura SmartFarm over 2021-22 and 2022-23. Among the parameters obtained with Cartographer, cross-sectional leaf area (CSLA) had the most robust relationship with fPARi. N-S oriented apple tree canopies intercepted 14, 17 and 23% more radiation per unit of CSLA than NW-SE, NE-SW and E-W canopies, respectively.
Fractional cross-sectional leaf area (fCSLA), defined as the ratio between CSLA and the product of row spacing and canopy height, could be used as a simple predictor of fPARi, although the relationship was not very robust NDASH i.e., coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 0.62 and 0.06, respectively.
A substantial improvement of fPARi prediction (R2=0.94 and RMSE=0.03) was achieved with a multiple regression model that used CSLA, canopy height, crop, tree age, canopy design and row orientation as predictors.
Overall, the technology used in this study was successfully used for accurate estimates of fPARi.
Authors
A. Scalisi, M.G. OConnell, M. Peavey, L. McClymont, I. Goodwin
Keywords
canopy density, leaf area, light interception, row orientation, row spacing, training systems, tree architecture
Groups involved
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Working Group Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards
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