ABSTRACT
Leaf or canopy spectral refl ectance has been widely used for the estimation of a plant’s physiological status and environmental stress tolerance. Stress affects the spectral refl ectance of a plant, and changes in spectral refl ectance are closely associated with stress injury and alterations of physiological functions. Thus, refl ectance signals from plant canopy can be potentially used for stress monitoring and management. Turfgrass stress management, such as evaluation of drought and nutrient status, requires frequent assessment of water and nutrient variability across a turfgrass site (e.g., golf course). This requires large and extensive sampling of soil and plant tissues. Also, a rapid, nondestructive, accurate method of monitoring stress occurrence is desirable and important for the management of turfgrass. Spectral-related technology provides such a tool for estimating the physiological status of a plant and identifying stressed plants.
