Optical Parameters of the Tilia Cordata Mill. Assimilation Apparatus

Abstract

Morphometric indicators of trees' assimilative apparatus, including their reflection and light-absorbing properties, largely determine their physiological processes. Leaf initiation and development depend on chlorophyll resulting from photosynthesis, water absorption, its movement through a tree and evaporation. The aim of the paper is to evaluate leaf optical properties of Tilia cordata Mill. It was found that optical coefficients of leaf blades vary depending on the time of sample collection: at the end of the growing season, the leaf blade absorptance (Ab) ranges from 68.9% to 72.4%. During the intensive formation of Tilia flowers, the Ab coefficient decreases to 59.2%. It starts to rise before the beginning of the Tilia fruit maturation. The transmittance, Tr, is also lower at the period of intense flower development. Estimating NDVI (vegetation index) and LAI (leaf area index) from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery showed that the ratio between these indices (NDVI-LAI) changes during the entire growing season. The NDVI-LAI correlation varied up to the strongest one during the entire phenological cycle.