Novel Isotopic Gas Analyzer for Plant Health Monitoring

Los Gatos Research proposes to develop, test and deploy a compact, rugged instrument based on a new technology called Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy for plant health monitoring. This instrument will measure several important gas-phase quantities with high sensitivity, accuracy and specificity in real time without external calibration. The target measurement quantities include: the ratio of the isotopic abundances of 13C to 12C in CO2, the ratio of the isotopic abundances of 18O to 16O in H2O, and the concentrations of CO2 and H2O in air. The instrument will be the first remotely operable, easy-to-use system capable of measuring real time multiple gas concentrations and isotopic ratios with high precision and accuracy. By significantly increasing the accuracy and precision of trace gas measurements in the field, the Off-Axis ICOS instrument will allow determination of the rate of photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration and nutrient uptake, and thus of plant health, and facilitate controlled long-term studies. In Phase I, LGR will develop and test a prototype instrument that can measure the target quantities with useful precision, accuracy and repeatability. In Phase II, LGR will deploy the instrument in the field to demonstrate ruggedness, reliability, and the ability to record measurements over extended periods.