A simplified system to quantify storage of carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat within a maize canopy

The canopy storage of CO2, latent heat, and sensible heat within agricultural crops has not yet been fully examined, particularly on small farms situated in complex terrain. Reported canopy storage terms are consistently smaller than those found in forest ecosystems, such that they are often neglected. Our multiport profile system has been developed to examine these storage terms. The system sequentially samples air from four heights to a single non-dispersive Infrared Gas Analyzer (IRGA). Following laboratory testing, the system has been field proven in an east Tennessee maize crop in 2023. The new system enables quantifications of CO2, latent and sensible heat atmospheric storage terms and, with supporting temperature measurements, allows improved examination of the surface heat energy budget and the net air-surface exchange of CO2. It offers a valuable tool for a better understanding of gas-energy fluxes on small farms on topographically varied landscapes.