IDENTIFICATION OF THE PIGMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BLUE FLUORESCENCE BAND IN THE LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE (LIF) SPECTRA OF GREEN PLANTS, AND THE POTENTIAL USE OF THIS BAND IN REMOTELY ESTIMATING RATES OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of vegetation is being investigated in this laboratory for use as a technique for the remote detection of the effects of environmental stress upon vegetation, as well as for plant identification. The fluorescence band with a maximum at 440 nm, in conjunction with the chlorophyll bands with maxima at 685 and 740 nm, has been found to be a critical band in the development of algorithms for detecting stress, and identifying plant types. The identification of the plant constituent responsible for this band is vital to understanding the mechanism underlying its fluorescence changes in response to environmental and physiological changes. The identification was achieved as follows: The laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of pure plant pigments were determined. Fluorescence bands with maxima at 420 nm, 440 nm, 490 nm, and 525 nm were observed for vitamin K1, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADPH), beta-carotene, and riboflavin, respectively. The LIF spectra of water extracts and acetone extracts of clover leaves were also measured. It was found that the blue fluorescence band was associated with the water extract. NADPH which is a water-soluble compound, and the water extract of clover had no fluorescence after oxidation by potassium ferricyanide, while the fluorescence of water insoluble vitamin K1 was unchanged by the oxidizing agent. It was also found that the absorption maximum of NADPH was the same as the absorption maximum of the aqueous extract of clover. The above findings indicated that the compound responsible for the blue fluorescence at 440 nm is in the reduced state and is water-soluble. It was concluded that NADPH was responsible for the blue fluorescence at 440 nm. The strong linear relationship between the fluorescence at 440 nm and the rate of photosynthesis suggests the possible use of LIF measurements in the remote estimation of photosynthetic rates.