Fluorescence from different vegetation

The image shows fluorescence from different types of vegetation. It was captured by a novel airborne sensor called Hyplant to support the development of ESA’s candidate Earth Explorer FLEX mission. The highest fluorescence values (bright yellow–green) were found in sugar beet. These results show how the FLEX satellite mission could provide global maps of vegetation fluorescence, which can be used to retrieve the actual photosynthetic activity. In turn, this would not only improve our understanding of the amount of carbon stored in plants and their role in the carbon and water cycles, but could potentially also be important for helping to optimise agricultural productivity.