APPLICATION OF COMPUTER AXIAL TOMOGRAPHY (CAT) TO MEASURING CROP CANOPY GEOMETRY.

An investigation was carried to determine the feasibility of using the principles of computer axial tomography (CAT) to quantify the structure of crop canopies. This was to be achieved through analysis of field data of two crops, corn and soybeans, taking into account the convoluted and interwoven foliage in the two canopies. The objective was not the construction of a prototype field data acquisition instrument, but rather, a proof-of-concept demonstration of the applicability of the principles of CAT to measuring the canopy geometry. Rather than consider adaptation of an x-ray CAT scanner for field use, it was proposed, for reasons of radiation safety and cost, to investigate an optical - instead of x-ray - CAT approach involving photodetectors.