This study innovatively leveraged proximal remote sensing to address the challenge of mineral exploration in vegetation-covered regions. Remote and proximal sensing has proven to be highly effective in pinpointing surface-exposed alteration minerals and detecting potential mining sites in previously unproductive areas. However, in regions where vegetation is abundant, the presence of foliage poses a significant challenge to mineral exploration efforts, creating a natural barrier that hinders the search for valuable minerals. In this study, we explored the linear relationship between the spectral changes induced by metals (specifically Fe and Mo) in wheat plants and the concentrations of these metal elements in different parts of the plant canopy at various growth stages. This investigation was conducted through meticulously designed controlled experiments to understand the interaction between metal elements in the soil and wheat plants. We have established linear models linking wheat biochemistry, vegetation spectroscopy, and soil concentration gradients of Fe and Mo. The analysis of Fe and Mo concentrations in leaves and wheat spikes across varying soil concentration gradients revealed significant positive correlations between the canopy accumulation sites and soil element concentrations (p < 0.05), with a correlation coefficient (R) exceeding 0.85, affirming the representativeness of these two canopy sites for subsequent spectral analysis and modeling. Regarding the wheat spectral analysis, the absorption features at specified wavelengths were identified as significant for creating valid linear models to analyze the effect of Fe and Mo in wheat leaf and spike spectra. Comparing the univariate (URL) and multivariate (MLR) models demonstrated that MLR modeling, incorporating multiple absorption feature parameters, provided more accurate results compared to scenarios with only one absorption feature in the modeling process (MLR: Fe-leaf: R2 = 0.941, RMSE = 1.171; Mo-spike: R2 = 0.934, RMSE = 0.042). To conclude, this study introduces a novel method that exploits the wheat spectral properties observed across different canopy sections during various growth stages of vegetation and under varying concentrations of Fe and Mo gradients. The methodology elucidated in this research provides technical support and lays the theoretical foundation for evaluating mineral resources in vegetated areas.
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