Monitoring Low-Temperature Stress in Winter Wheat Using TROPOMI Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) shows potential in exploring plant responses to environmental changes caused by extreme climatic factors. However, how to accurately assess climate stresses (especially the low-temperature stress) suffered on crops at the regional scale in a systematic approach has not been extensively explored. In this study, we developed a climate vegetation stress index (CVSI) to assess and quantify the impacts of climate stress on crops at large scales by combining TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) SIF and land surface temperature (LST) data through an easy-to-operate approach. This index was employed to identify low-temperature stress conditions in Henan Province’s winter wheat in 2018. Results indicate that, influenced by climate characteristics, crops in the northern part of Henan Province experienced more severe low-temperature stress than those in the southern part. The daily average SIF values experienced reductions of 0.74, 0.45, 0.61, and 0.86 mW
$\cdot ~\text{m}^{-2}~\cdot $
sr
$^{-1}~\cdot $
nm−1 during the four cooling episodes within the two phenological periods, respectively. As low-temperature stress intensified, winter wheat growth was hindered, reducing grain yield. Indeed, the CVSI provides an accurate depiction of crop stress levels and patterns. In areas with high-CVSI values, yield losses are particularly severe. In addition, the significant positive correlation between the CVSI and net primary productivity (NPP), along with the similar spatial intensity pattern, shows the effectiveness of CVSI in monitoring low-temperature stress. CVSI provides a new approach to understand the impacts of climate change on overwintering crops and offers a practical reference for climate stress effects monitoring at the regional scale.