Spectral Response of Eucalyptus saligna under Water Stress in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The present work aims to assess the effect of water stress on the reflectance emitted by leaves of Eucalyptus saligna individuals. The design was completely randomized and the study comprised 30 subjects who underwent 5 cycles of drought simulation, 45 days each. Five individuals were submitted to water deficit treatment and five were used as controls, remaining in adequate water conditions. The experiment and data collection were performed in the external facilities of the forest management laboratory of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Which it comprised the period from September 2014 to April 2015. Spectral information was collected from 24-month-old tree individuals in adequate water and water stress situations by means of FieldSpec®3 spectroradiometer. Subsequently, the spectral data for the electromagnetic spectrum range from 400 nm to 1700 nm were processed and analyzed. The resulting spectral behavior varied between water stress cycles. In the 450 nm wavelength range, the reflectances ranged from 3.8% to 7.4%, at 550 nm from 7.9% to 14% and at 650 nm from 4.8% to 8.8%. In the near infrared region, in the 900 nm to 1300 nm range, the reflectances ranged from 28% to 62%. The spectral response of E. saligna showed minimal differences when compared to healthy green vegetation, even though it was exposed to water deficit situations. From the information obtained, this research can be used as a parameter for comparative analysis between species belonging to the genus Eucalyptus sp.