Study of a Non-destructive Method for Estimating the Leaf Area Index in Vegetable Crops Using Digital Images

One estimate of a crop's ability to capture light energy is the leaf area index (LAI), which is defined as the proportion of leaf area per unit of land area. Direct methods of estimation involve determining the LAI in a significant area of cultivation and individually measuring the leaf surface, which is often tedious. The objective of this study was to develop a cheap and simple method for determining LAI based on the percentage of groundcover (PGC) measured in two vegetable crops with notable differences in leaf type and plant architecture using digital images obtained with a commercial camera and applying open-source software. The PGC values obtained from digital image analysis in cauliflower and tomato crops and the measurements of LAI obtained by destructive sampling (measured with a planimeter) allowed us to obtain a relationship between two variables (r(2) > 0.88). In all cases, the extinction coefficients were obtained from comparisons of LAI and PGC with values ranging between 0.75 and 0.85 for processing tomato and 0.60 and 0.70 for cauliflower. The method used allows non-destructive estimations of LAI that are comparable with other more expensive indirect methods that require a skilled operator.