Ground-Based Methods for Direct Measuring of Leaf Area Index (LAI)

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is one of the most important structural parameters in agricultural, range and forest ecosystems and variation of energy, water, and gases are tightly coupled to LAI. According to the novelty of LAI research in Iran, this study aimed to evaluate different direct ground-based methods for determining LAI.

This research has been done by literature reviews by using internet databases. There are two main categories of procedures to measure LAI: ground-based and remote sensing methods, and ground-based methods divided into direct and indirect (estimation) methods.

Although, in the past two decades, the tendency to use indirect ground-based as well as remote sensing methods for estimating g LAI has increased, but for reasons such as needing semi-sophisticated and sophisticated instruments and lack of free access to satellite images in the greater part of the world, caused the direct ground-based methods for calculating LAI has been widely used. Moreover, the high precision and accuracy of direct ground-based methods compared to direct ground-based and remote sensing methods is another reason for preferring direct ground-based methods.

The results of this study showed that the Litter Trap method could be the most efficient method for measuring LAI, and we proposed this method in future research, concerning very less destruction to nature as well as high accuracy and precision.