A simplified system to quantify storage of carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat within a maize canopy 

Abstract. The significance of canopy storage of CO₂, latent energy and sensible heat within agricultural crops has not been fully examined. Reported canopy storage terms are consistently smaller than found for a forest ecosystem, such that they are often neglected. A novel multiport profile system has been developed to examine these storage terms. The system sequentially samples air from four heights to a single non-dispersive Infrared Gas Analyzer (IRGA). Following extensive laboratory testing, the system was used to measure CO₂ and H₂O within an eastern Tennessee maize canopy in 2023. The storage of latent and sensible heat was large enough to merit incorporation with conventional field measurements. The new system will enable profile measurements of CO₂ sufficient to quantify canopy storage terms as are needed in agricultural field campaigns.