Characterizing the Variability of the Structure Parameter in the PROSPECT Leaf Optical Properties Model

Radiative transfer model (RTM) inversion allows for the quantitative estimation of vegetation biochemical composition from satellite sensor data, but large uncertainties associated with inversion make accurate estimation difficult. The leaf structure parameter (N-s) is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in inversion of the widely used leaf-level PROSPECT model, since it is the only parameter that cannot be directly measured. In this study, we characterize N-s as a function of phenology by collecting an extensive dataset of leaf measurements from samples of three dicotyledon species (hard red wheat, soft white wheat, and upland rice) and one monocotyledon (soy), grown under controlled conditions over two full growth seasons. A total of 230 samples were collected: measured leaf reflectance and transmittance were used to estimate N-s from each sample. These experimental data were used to investigate whether N-s depends on phenological stages (early/mid/late), and/or irrigation regime (irrigation at 85%, 75%, 60% of the initial saturated tray weight, and pre-/post-irrigation). The results, supported by the extensive experimental data set, indicate a significant difference between N-s estimated on monocotyledon and dicotyledon plants, and a significant difference between N-s estimated at different phenological stages. Different irrigation regimes did not result in significant N-s differences for either monocotyledon or dicotyledon plant types. To our knowledge, this study provides the first systematic record of N-s as a function of phenology for common crop species.