Abstract

Alejandro Espinosa-Calderon , Irineo Torres-Pacheco , Jose Alfredo Padilla-Medina , Roque Alfredo Osornio-Rios, Rene de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Carlos Villaseñor-Mora , Enrique Rico-Garcia and Ramon Gerardo Guevara-Gonzalez

Through photosynthesis green plants transform luminous energy, CO2, water and ground minerals into carbohydrates with O2 as residuum. Production in plants depends on the level of absorbed nutrients and their capability to process them through photosynthesis. Measuring this process allows predictive maintenance directed to optimize the development and production of the plants. Many photosynthesis measurement methods exist, but given the natural rapidness of this phenomenon, optical techniques appear to be the clue to quantify it in real time. This review describes different optical techniques applied to photosynthesis measurement, commenting on their principal advantages and limitations.