Spectral Index for Quantifying Leaf Area Index of Winter Wheat by Field Hyperspectral Measurements: A Case Study in Gifu Prefecture, Central Japan

Timely and nondestructive monitoring of leaf area index (LAI) using remote sensing techniques is crucial for precise and efficient management of crops. In this paper, a new spectral index (SI) for estimating LAI of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is proposed on the basis of field hyperspectral measurements. A simple index based on the empirical relationships between LAIs and SIs of all available two-waveband combinations from hyperspectral data is developed by considering the difference between reflectance values at 760 and 739 nm (DSIR760–R739 = R760 – R739). Among published and newly developed SIs, DSIR760–R739 exhibited a significant and strong linear relationship with LAI and showed outstanding performance in LAI assessments. The permissible bandwidths for broad-band DSIR760–R739 investigated using simulated reflectance were 5 nm for both 760 and 739 nm center wavelengths. The results indicate that the linear regression model based on the narrow-band and broad-band DSIR760–R739 is a simple but accurate method for timely and nondestructive monitoring of LAI.