Patent attributes
A portable fluorescence and transmittance imaging spectroscopy system for use in diagnosing plant health. The system has a primary LED light source array with spectral wavelengths in the 400-600 nm range, a focus cone that collects the LED light source output and focuses it, a controller that controls the primary LED array to turn it on and off, or certain of the spectral wavelengths on and off such that the primary LED array controllably emits light of a desired wavelength in the range, the light irradiating the plant through the focus cone, a digital imaging device that both spatially and temporally captures a fluorescence image comprising chlorophyll fluorescence emitted by the plant due to the emitted light from the LED array, a leaf holder located proximate to the output of the focus cone to maintain a consistent position and distance between the digital imaging device, the LED light source and the leaf and providing for fixed position and non-destructive leaf imaging and testing, a secondary light source for providing broad-band transmissive light through the leaf, a lens for focusing onto the imaging device the light emitted from the secondary light source, and one or more memory devices that store the fluorescence image and the transmitted light data received by the digital imaging device and store a library of plant fluorescence-intensity data indicative of both healthy plants and stressed or diseased plants, and plant light transmittance data indicative of certain plant conditions.