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Developing a Device to Quantify Light Penetration in Turfgrass Canopies
Author(s) -
White R.,
Steinke K.,
Fontanier C.,
Thomas J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2009.06.0359
Subject(s) - canopy , penetration (warfare) , pyranometer , sunlight , environmental science , lolium multiflorum , irradiance , agronomy , remote sensing , biology , materials science , botany , optics , mathematics , physics , operations research , geology
Light penetration measurements have not been possible in turfgrass environments due to the large size of commercial light bars relative to the low height of the turfgrass canopy. A light bar was designed and constructed for use in turfgrass canopies mowed as short as 1.3 cm. The instrument uses four miniature solar cells connected in parallel and mounted to a high density polyethylene (HDPE) bar measuring 3.5‐mm wide, 6‐mm tall, and 200‐mm long. The constructed light bar was calibrated against a Li‐Cor (Li‐Cor, Lincoln, NE) pyranometer sensor and obtained a relationship of Y = 1.0293e 16.039x with an R 2 value of 0.96. Data demonstrate measured differences in light penetration through an annual ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum Lam.) canopy maintained at three mowing heights. Light penetration measured at the base of annual ryegrass canopies maintained at cutting heights of 3.2, 5.7. and 8.3 cm amounted to 5.36 to 7.48%, 1.21 to 3.43%, and 0.10 to 0.40%, of full sunlight, respectively. This device should allow researchers the ability to assess canopy light penetration in low‐growing vegetation including turfgrasses.