Leaf Water Status Monitoring by Scattering Effects at Terahertz Frequencies

TL;DR

This study explores how terahertz radiation interacts with plant leaves to monitor water content, developing a theoretical model that aligns well with experimental data and assesses various environmental factors.

Contribution

The paper introduces a combined integral equation and radiative transfer model for THz interactions with leaves, enabling water status evaluation considering leaf surface and environmental variations.

Findings

Model accurately fits measured data across conditions.

THz waves are effective for water status monitoring in different geometries.

Environmental factors like temperature and salinity influence THz interactions.

Abstract

The applications of terahertz (THz) radiation for plant water status monitoring require systematic studies on interaction of THz wave and plants. Here, we present theoretical investigations on scattering behavior of THz waves reflected by and transmitting through a plant leaf under different water content. A theoretical model combining integral equation and radiative transfer theory is presented to fit the measured data. Good agreement confirms the availability of the model for water status evaluation when variation of leaf thickness and surface roughness is considered. We investigate the applicability of THz waves for water status monitoring in reflection and transmission geometries under different temperatures, salinities and polarizations.