Determination of water contents in leaves by a near-infrared multispectral imaging technique

The kinetics of water desorption from olive leaves was studied using a near-infrared (NIR) multispectral imaging spectrometer. This imaging spectrometer is capable of sensitively and rapidly recording NIR spectral images of leaves because it was constructed with an acousto-optic tunable filter and an InGaAs focal plane array NIR camera. The high sensitivity and fast scanning ability of the imaging spectrometer make it suitable for kinetic determination. The kinetics of water desorption from olive leaves, determined by this multispectral imaging instrument, show that rate of water desorption is strongly dependent on the environment in which the leaves were stored. Water desorbed from leaves faster when leaves were stored under dry conditions. The rate for leaves stored in 0% humidity environment is 1.5× faster than those stored in 50% humidity.