Correlation between grain quality indicators and spectral reflectance properties of wheat canopies by using hyperspectral data from winter wheat

Remote sensing offers the potential to determine rapidly the physiological conditions of wheat in wide areas, and spectral reflectance measurement at leaf and canopy scales in the field provides a promising, expeditious and nondestructive way to gather information in a relatively wide area in a short-term duration. With the development of space techniques, remote sensing is being broadly applied in agriculture. This study has shown that there are robust correlations between spectral index of Structure Insensitive Pigment Index(SIPI)and the ratio of carotenoid to chlorophyll content, and foliar total nitrogen concentration and grain quality indicators at anthesis stage. The predictions of grain protein and wet gluten content by foliar total nitrogen concentration at anthesis stage were surprisingly good, so it is possible to estimate grain quality indicators by canopy spectrum at anthesis stage.