IR characterization of plant leaves, endemic to semi-tropical regions, in two senescent states

We are developing a robust and economic electro-optical remote sensing methodology to monitor the state of health and hydration of trees, endemic to subtropical regions. We measured reflectance spectra with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) of three samples of two different oak trees. We find that spectral bands suitable for monitoring the state of the health and senescence of the oak include intervals around 0.9 µm and 1.8 µm. The easiest and the most cost-effective strategy would be to implement an electro-optical remote sensing radiometric system featuring a commercial camera incorporating a traditional charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detectors and a wideband transmission filter, from about 0.8 to 1 µm.