Non-destructive detection of plant health

Destructive sampling methods to analyze the growth and development of plants have been used for many years and are still in use. Non-destructive methods are becoming common and being applied in practice with the development of computers and electronic devices. They have mainly been used for measuring CO2 uptake/release by plants, leaf expansion, plant weight increase and stem elongation. Image processing of plants and applications of laser induced fluorescence, infrared radiation and microwaves to detect plant condition are also being studied. Overall detection of a plant canopy and physiological insights could possibly be attained by these methods.