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Introduction
Document code: SS1-UM-1.05
Introduction
How to use the manuals
This manual tells you how to use your SunScan Canopy Analyser and its
accessories. Some pages in the
Menus and Screens
section are "Quick Guides"
which summarise the principal operating modes of the SunScan. They have been
laminated on to durable material so that they can be taken into the field instead of
the full manual. A separate Technical Manual is provided, but you will only need to
refer to it in exceptional circumstances.
If you have purchased the Psion Workabout Data Collection Terminal, you will need
to refer to its
Workabout User Guide
at first, to learn its basic operations. You may
also want to refer to your
PC User Manual
when setting it up to communicate with
the SunScan system.
Organisation of this manual
The sections are arranged in a practical order so that you can first of all check the
functioning of the equipment you have received, and then learn how to operate it
proficiently with the tutorials.
After this, there is a discussion of the measurement options that you must consider
when designing your experiments and taking readings in the field. The remainder of
the manual covers such things as the theoretical basis for leaf area index estimates,
and a technical reference section.
As a new user, you are recommended to work methodically through the Getting
Started, and SunScan Tutorial sections. Thereafter you may browse through other
parts of the manual as needed.
The SunScan Canopy Analysis System
Here is a brief overview of the main functions and components of the SunScan
system.
PAR measurements
Fractional interception and Leaf Area Index estimates
The SunScan probe is a portable instrument for measuring the light levels of
photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in plant canopies. With it, you can
measure the interception of solar radiation by the canopy, and – in some types of
canopy – make estimates of canopy leaf area index (LAI).
PAR mapping
You can quickly take numerous readings to find the average level of PAR beneath
the canopy, for example, or make linear transects of the PAR distribution within the
canopy.
Autolog and Linear Quantum Sensor modes
The SunScan probe may also be left unattended to log the variation in PAR at one
place throughout the course of a day either in its fully functional Autolog mode, or
in its more basic Linear Quantum Sensor mode, connected to a data logger.
