A NON-INVASIVE METHOD FOR MEASURING ABSOLUTE WATER CONTENT OF A LEAF

A method for measuring the water content of a leaf by means of terahertz waves, comprising subjecting a leaf (LS) to terahertz radiation, detecting terahertz radiation (TTB) transmitted through the leaf (LS), and determining the water content of the leaf from the detected transmitted terahertz radiation (TTB). The method also includes determining the total projected area A of the leaf. Determining the water content of the leaf (LS) comprises determining the absorbance A of the leaf from the transmitted terahertz radiation (TTB) detected, determining the product of the absorbance A with the total projected area A of the leaf and determining the absolute water content Mw of the leaf by comparing the product with a calibration curve that associates water content data with absorbance product data with the projected area of leaves of the same variety.