March 2023
Spotlight Summary by Enrique García-Caurel
Hybrid spatial–temporal Mueller matrix imaging spectropolarimeter for high throughput plant phenotyping
Leaves are fascinating organs that ensure the survival of plants and contribute to the stability of the temperature and the composition of the Earth atmosphere. In the past, significant efforts have been made to develop characterization techniques for the study of leaf biology and the related effects of the many environmental factors to which they are exposed. The use of most of these technologies is limited to the laboratory, which may reduce the extent of their application. Michael Kudenov and coauthors present a compact and portable imaging spectropolarimeter that can measure images of plant leaves at multiple wavelengths in the visible and near infrared spectral domains in a short time. The instrument can be used to perform in-situ field measurements to monitor the evolution of plants at various stages of their life cycle. Polarized light possesses fundamental properties such as retardance, diattenuation and degree of polarization that are sensitive to the different structures present on the leaves at different scales. Therefore, polarization is used as a non-invasive label-free image contrast enhancer that improves visualization of foliar components and provides a quantitative description of their properties. As an illustration, the instrument is used to measure Zea maize leaves. It is shown that polarimetric properties can detect and quantify subtile differences in the optical response baseline of leaves due to multiple factors such as barrenness, leaf canopy location and measurement position. In summary, this spectropolarimeter is an accurate, responsive and versatile device with promising applications.
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Article Information
Hybrid spatial–temporal Mueller matrix imaging spectropolarimeter for high throughput plant phenotyping
Michael W. Kudenov, Danny Krafft, Clifton G. Scarboro, Colleen J. Doherty, and Peter Balint-Kurti
Appl. Opt. 62(8) 2078-2091 (2023) View: Abstract | HTML | PDF