Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Study: Fluorescent light clarifies relationship between heat stress and crop yield

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists report that it is possible to detect and predict heat damage in crops by measuring the fluorescent light signature of plant leaves experiencing heat stress. If collected via satellite, this fluorescent signal could support widespread monitoring of growth and crop yield under the heat stress of climate change, the researchers say.

Their study measures sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence – or SIF – to monitor a plant’s photosynthetic health and establish a connection between heat stress and crop yield. The findings are published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence occurs when a portion of photosynthetic energy, in the form of near-infrared light, is emitted from plant leaves, the researchers said.

“There is a link between sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic rate in plants; however, it was unclear if SIF detection could measure physiological responses in heat-stressed plants,” said lead author Hyungsuk Kimm, a natural and resources and environmental sciences graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “When soybeans are exposed to high-temperature stress, for example, they do not show any distinctive changes in canopy structure, and conventional remote sensing signals do not provide clear consequential spectral signatures.”

To clarify the link between SIF and crop yield, researchers used a hyperspectral sensing system to measured SIF above soybean crops in the U. of I.’s Temperature Free-Air-Controlled Enhancement experimental plots in central Illinois. The setup monitored changes in chlorophyll fluorescence of soybean leaf canopies in a controlled environment using infrared lamps to raise temperatures 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 degrees Celsius above the ambient crop canopy temperature, the study reports.

An illustration detailing the experimental set up for this project.

Illustration showing (a) the experimental setup and photos of field measurement (b) a researcher using a spectroscopy system and (c) the canopy chamber system.

“This experimental setup – and it’s a large temperature gradient – is the first of its kind,” said co-author Carl Bernacchi, a professor of plant biology and of crop sciences and a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service at the U. of I.

“We found that sun-induced fluorescence responds to temperature increases and corresponds with fewer and lower quality soybean leaves,” said natural and resources and environmental sciences professor Kaiyu Guan, who directed the study. “We also found that heat stress has a great impact on soybeans during their reproductive stages when the plants are producing grain, which ultimately affects the size and quantity of the resulting soybeans.”

This study establishes a correlation between heat stress, SIF and grain quality and clarifies how heat stress affects photosynthetic performance and crop yield.

“The technique may provide a tool for breeders to identify more heat-resistant crops and help farmers select the best crops to grow in the U.S. Corn Belt as temperatures rise, as predicted by many climate models,” said co-author Lisa Ainsworth, a plant biology professor and U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist at Illinois.

Illinois researchers Charles Burroughs, Bin Peng, Caitlin Moore and Genghung Wu also participated in this research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA and the National Science Foundation supported this study.

Guan also is affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment. Bernacchi and Ainsworth also are affiliated with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. Guan, Ainsworth and Bernacchi are founding faculty members of the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at Illinois.

 

 

Editor’s notes:

To reach Hyungsuk Kimm, call 217-979-8334, email hk8@illinois.edu.

To reach Kaiyu Guan, call 217-300-2690; kaiyug@illinois.edu.

The paper “Quantifying high-temperature stress on soybean canopy photosynthesis: the unique role of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence” is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15603.

Read Next

Humanities Diptych image with book cover of "The New Internationals" and a headshot of English professor David Wright Faladé

English professor’s novel tells of love triangle in post-WWII Paris, based on his family history

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new novel by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor David Wright Faladé tells the story of three people in a love triangle in post-World War II Paris. The characters in “The New Internationals” — a young French woman who has survived the Holocaust, a university student from West Africa and a […]

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010