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Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 75

Optical Spectrum Technology and Crop Health

07/31/2005 11:07 AM

There's a new technology that measures the differences in color of plant leaves.
The lamp, "can differentiate minute differences in leaf colors - indicators of over- or under-fertilization, crop-nutrient levels and perhaps even disease."
The technolgy: "The N-Checker uses two red-light sources that cut down on sensor and polarizer costs and increase the system speed. The red region of the electromagnetic spectrum is important because it reveals not just total chlorophyll content, but also relative amounts of the various types of chlorophyll molecules."

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The Feature Creep

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 990
#1

Red

08/01/2005 8:40 AM

I thought they used red to ensure 100% of the light is reflected. Green leaves can't absorb red light.

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Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Hearts of Oak Popular Science - Paleontology - New Member Engineering Fields - Mechanical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: May 2005
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#2
In reply to #1

Re:Red

08/09/2005 11:43 AM

Surely red is absorbed by green leaves - or else they would appear red.

As they appear green, doesn't it follow that green wavelengths are all they reflect?

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The Feature Creep

Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 990
#3
In reply to #2

Re:Red

08/09/2005 1:00 PM

I got myself backwards. It absorbs everything but green light. Serves me right for not thinking things through.

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