Environmental
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Environmental
Why Measure Leaf Area Index (LAI)?Leaf Area Index (LAI) is the ratio of the foliage area to the ground area. The measurement of LAI is of fundamental importance in agricultural and ecological research because LAI is a measure of plant growth; it directly affects the interception and absorption of light by the canopy and it influences the heat balance and evaporation from the landscape.
The LAI-2000 is the premier LAI instrument in the world.
• Saves time and labor
• Provides on-site evaluation of LAI data
• Can be used for short or tall canopies (i.e. grass to forest)
• Used for broad canopies (i.e. forest), small isolated canopies (i.e. individual
trees) or row crop canopies
• Calculates foliage inclination angle and other relevant parameters
• Can be used under a variety of sky conditions, including sunny conditions
• Either of three modes of operation can be chosen, depending on the canopy
The LAI-2000 calculates Leaf Area Index (LAI) and other canopy structure attributes from radiation measurements made with a “fish-eye” optical sensor (148° field-of-view). Measurements made above and below the canopy are used to determine canopy light interception at 5 angles, from which LAI is computed using a model of radiative transfer in vegetative canopies.