Analysis of time-resolved chlorophyll fluorescence and backscattered signal from vegetation

A model has been developed and represents backscattered and fluorescence signals coming from a plant canopy after excitation by a picosecond laser shot. Its inversion provides the level and the area of the different leaves intercepting the laser beam and the mean fluorescence lifetime of the plant canopy. This method has been validated experimentally and by using a 3D canopy model and the ray tracing technique. Experimental results obtained with a ground based far field instrumentation, in laboratory and field condition are presented and discussed. They show the possibility of monitoring the plant status and determining the geometry of complex plant canopies, based on time resolved remote measurements.