In November 2015, the FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) was selected as the eighth Earth Explorer mission of the European Space Agency. The tandem mission concept will provide measurements at a spectral and spatial resolution enabling the retrieval and interpretation of the full chlorophyll fluorescence spectrum emitted by the terrestrial vegetation. This paper provides a mission concept overview of the scientific goals, the key objectives related to fluorescence, and the requirements guaranteeing the fitness for purpose of the resulting scientific data set. We present the mission design at the time of selection, i.e., at the end of project phase Phase A/B1, as developed by two independent industrial consortia. The mission concepts both rely on a single payload Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer, covering the spectral range from 500 to 780 nm. In the oxygen absorption bands, its spectral resolution will be 0.3 nm with a spectral sampling interval of 0.1 nm. The swath width of the spectrometer is 150 km and the spatial resolution will be 300 x 300 m². The satellite will fly in tandem with Sentinel-3 providing different and complementary measurements with a temporal collocation of 6 to 15 s. The FLEX launch is scheduled for 2022.

Dualex (dual excitation) is a field-portable instrument, hereby described, for the assessment of polyphenolic compounds in leaves from the measurement of UV absorbance of the leaf epidermis by double excitation of chlorophyll fluorescence. The instrument takes advantage of a feedback loop that equalizes the fluorescence level induced by a reference red light to the UV-light-induced fluorescence level. This allows quick measurement from attached leaves even under field conditions. The use of light-emitting diodes and of a leaf-clip configuration makes Dualex a user-friendly instrument with potential applications in ecophysiological research, light climate analysis, agriculture, forestry, horticulture, pest management, selection of medicinal plants, and wherever accumulation of leaf polyphenolics is involved in plant responses to the environment.

Chlorophyll a fluorescence can be used as an early stress indicator. Fluorescence is also connected to photosynthesis so it can be proposed for global monitoring of vegetation status from a satellite platform. Nevertheless, the correct interpretation of fluorescence requires accurate physical models. The spectral shape of the leaf fluorescence free of any re-absorption effect plays a key role in the models and is difficult to measure. We present a vegetation fluorescence emission spectrum free of re-absorption based on a combination of measurements and modelling. The suggested spectrum takes into account the photosystem I and II spectra and their relative contribution to fluorescence. This emission spectrum is applicable to describe vegetation fluorescence in biospectroscopy and remote sensing.

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a radiation flux emitted by chlorophyll molecules in the red (RSIF) and far red region (FRSIF), and is considered as a potential indicator of the functional state of photosynthesis in remote sensing applications. Recently, ground studies and space observations have demonstrated a strong empirical linear relationship between FRSIF and carbon uptake through photosynthesis (GPP, gross primary production). In this study, we investigated the potential of RSIF and FRSIF to represent the functional status of photosynthesis at canopy level on a wheat crop. RSIF and FRSIF were continuously measured in the O₂-B (SIF687) and O₂-A bands (SIF760) at a high frequency rate from a nadir view at a height of 21 m, simultaneously with carbon uptake using eddy covariance (EC) techniques. The relative fluorescence yield (Fyield) and the photochemical yield were acquired at leaf level using active fluorescence measurements. SIF was normalized with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to derive apparent spectral fluorescence yields (ASFY687, ASFY760). At the diurnal scale, we found limited variations of ASFY687 and ASFY760 during sunny days. We also did not find any link between Fyield and light use efficiency (LUE) derived from EC, which would prevent SIF from indicating LUE changes. The coefficient of determination ( $r^2$ ) of the linear regression between SIF and GPP is found to be highly variable, depending on the emission wavelength, the time scale of observation, sky conditions, and the phenological stage. Despite its photosystem II (PSII) origin, SIF687 correlates less than SIF760 with GPP in any cases. The strongest SIF–GPP relationship was found for SIF760 during canopy growth. When canopy is in a steady state, SIF687 and SIF760 are almost as effective as PAR in predicting GPP. Our results imply some constraints in the use of simple linear relationships to infer GPP from SIF, as they are expected to be better predictive with far red SIF for canopies with a high dynamic range of green biomass and a low LUE variation range.

Imaging and non-imaging spectroscopy employed in the field and from aircraft is frequently used to assess biochemical, structural, and functional plant traits, as well as their dynamics in an environmental matrix. With the increasing availability of high-resolution spectroradiometers, it has become feasible to measure fine spectral features, such as those needed to estimate sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (F), which is a signal related to the photosynthetic process of plants. The measurement of F requires highly accurate and precise radiance measurements in combination with very sophisticated measurement protocols. Additionally, because F has a highly dynamic nature (compared with other vegetation information derived from spectral data) and low signal intensity, several environmental, physiological, and experimental aspects have to be considered during signal acquisition and are key for its reliable interpretation. The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ES1309 OPTIMISE has produced three articles addressing the main challenges in the field of F measurements. In this paper, which is the second of three, we review approaches that are available to measure F from the leaf to the canopy scale using ground-based and airborne platforms. We put specific emphasis on instrumental aspects, measurement setups, protocols, quality checks, and data processing strategies. Furthermore, we review existing techniques that account for atmospheric influences on F retrieval, address spatial scaling effects, and assess quality checks and the metadata and ancillary data required to reliably interpret retrieved F signals.