Quantitative estimation of chlorophyll-a using reflectance spectra: Experiments with autumn chestnut and maple leaves

The signature analysis of reflectance spectra of autumn Aesculus hippocastanum L. and Acer platanoides L. leaves revealed spectral bands maximally (near 550 and 705 nm) and minimally (at more than 750 nm) sensitive to variation in chlorophyll content, which can serve as sensitive indicators of early stages of leaf senescence. Several functions of reflectance directly proportional to chlorophyll-a have been found. These make it possible to determine chlorophyll accurately with a background of high pigment concentration.