The canopy governs for example radiation interception which is the driving force for photosynthesis and controls growth and production [2�C4]. Since energy and material exchanges Abiraterone solubility in canopies occur primarily across leaf surfaces, it is an incentive to develop measurement techniques that are able to derive details at the leaf level. Leaves have a temporal and spatial organization which includes their position, dimension, quantity, type, and connectivity with other canopy elements of the above-ground vegetation [5]. This is what is generally equated as canopy structure.An important index to describe Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries vegetation structure is the Leaf Area Index (LAI) which is used in any flux transfer study as gases exchange e.g., CO2 [6] or radiative transfer [7].

With respect to the radiation interception, LAI is defined as the total one sided leaf area per unit ground surface area [8]. However, in [9], the Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries authors proposed an alternative definition of LAI that takes into account curvatures, wrinkles and leaf elevation.Leaf inclination (elevation, roll and azimuth) affects the photosynthesis process in two ways: (i) it provides a mechanism for the plant to achieve favorable photosynthetic rates at specific times during the day, and (ii) it limits the impact of high incidence photon irradiance unfavorable for photosynthesis [10]. A more general index that describes leaf inclination is the Leaf Angle Distribution (LAD). It is an essential parameter for characterizing canopy Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries structure and plays a crucial role in the simulation of radiative transfer [11].

In such studies, canopies are represented either as a turbid medium or as discrete scatterers [12,13]. However, in the case of modeling the radiative transfer of trees, a detailed tree description is more relevant. For instance, leaves�� elevations are generally not randomly distributed but Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries are directly linked to their position in the tree [14,15]. Working with GSK-3 reconstructed virtual trees [16] and/or with accurate descriptions of leaf curvature would enable more accurate and geometrically explicit simulations for flux transfer studies and for simulation of radiative transfer in the canopy.Several innovative remote sensing methods attempted to describe vegetation structure parameters such as LAI or LAD in a fast, repeatable and accurate way.

The use of photographs [17], light sensors [18], and tele-lenses [19] offers possible solutions for the structure assessment problems but mostly encounters practical neither problems in field conditions. Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology potentially provides a novel tool for generating an accurate and comprehensive 3D mathematical description of tree and canopy structure. This remote sensing technique gathers structure information by scanning objects in a non-destructive manner and without physical contact [20]. Unlike passive systems such as hyperspectral scanners, which need an independent energy source (i.e.