An evaluation of EO-1 hyperspectral Hyperion data for chlorophyll content and leaf area index estimation

Abstract Estimation of chlorophyll content and the leaf area index (LAI) using remote sensing technology is of particular use in precision agriculture. Wavelengths at the red edge of the vegetation spectrum (705 and 750 nm) were selected to test vegetation indices (VIs) using spaceborne hyperspectral Hyperion data for the estimation of chlorophyll content and LAI in different canopy structures. Thirty sites were selected for the ground data collection. The results show that chlorophyll content and LAI can be successfully estimated by VIs derived from Hyperion data with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 7.20–10.49 μg cm−2 for chlorophyll content and 0.55–0.77 m2 m−2 for LAI. The special index derived from three bands provided the best estimation of the chlorophyll content (RMSE of 7.19 μg cm−2 for the Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index/Optimized Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MCARI/OSAVI705)) and LAI (RMSE of 0.55 m2 m−2 for a second form of the MCARI (MCARI2705)). These results demonstrate the possibilities for analysing the variation in chlorophyll content and LAI using hyperspectral Hyperion data with bands from the red edge of the vegetation spectrum. Acknowledgements We thank the editor of this journal, Dr Timothy Warner and anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions. This work was funded by China's Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Project (2007CB714406), Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (09R04), and a Key Project of the Scientific and Technological Programme for the Development of New Transgenic Varieties (2008ZX08012-005).