Changes of transverse distribution of incident light and chlorophyll fluorescence with senescence in rice leaves

Abstract

In order to examine transverse distributions of incident light and chlorophyll fluorescence in relation to leaf anatomy, the micro-fluorescence imaging system reported previously was improved. P-GRAPH, a devised program file package working on MS-DOS system of a personal computer (NEC PC-9801) enables to compare light distribution patterns with leaf anatomy on a picture monitor and to conduct comprehensive image analysis, averaging, smoothing and many calculations among image data. Images of scattered light, and chlorophyll fluorescence measured at 687 nm and 741 nm of mature and senescent rice leaves were compared. Scattered light distributed deeper in the senescent leaf than in the mature leaf. Chlorophyll fluorescence at 741 nm distributed deeper than that at 687 nm in the mature leaf, while profiles of chlorophyll fluorescence at the both wavelengths were similar in the senescent leaf.