Evolution of Autumn Leaf Coloration of Torminalis glaberrima Grown in Isparta, Türkiye

Authors : Candan Şahin, Ebru Hatice Tığlı Kaytanlıoğlu, Hüseyin Fakir, Uğur Özkan

Pages : 101-108

Doi:10.26650/JGEOG2023-1257031

View : 33 | Download : 64

Publication Date : 2024-01-10

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The fall coloration of temperate tree leaves is a phenomenon of nature that ranges in color from pale yellows, oranges, and purples to dark reds. Although some evolutionary forces and weathered mechanisms (e.g., light and frost protection) cause variations in leaf color within and among species, no full explanation is found regarding fall coloration. This study phonologically monitored Torminalis glaberrima leaves from May until at the end of November in terms of fall coloration and senescence properties. The study presents the average color coordinate values of Torminalis glaberrima leaves, starting from May and continuing through November. Torminalis glaberrima leaves show an intense green color from May to June. We have used CIE L*a*b (1976) color space to determine discoloration intensity. As the seasons change, however, the leaves become darker into November (L = 25.67), with leaf discolorations becoming clearly distinguishable. We selected color values of leaves of Torminalis glaberrima at May as control, and as vegetation continues, compared to color changes throughout study (end of November). Accordingly, we measured total color differences (ΔE). The highest change in coloration was found in November (ΔE = 56.86) followed by October (ΔE = 44.71), September (ΔE = 42.32), August (ΔE = 15.37), July (ΔE = 5.86), and June (ΔE = 2.14). Notably, the highest color difference ΔE = 44.56 was found from August to September, and the lowest from May to June (ΔE = 2.14). Except for the leaves’ GE brightness values, which show very low correlations over time, all other color coordinate values for CIE L*a*b* and hue values show some color level correlations over time.
Keywords : CIE L a b, torminalis glaberrima, sonbahar renklenmesi

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