A spectroradiometer has been designed for the study of crop reflectance characteristics in the spectral range of 400–1000 nm. Since the instrument records the ratio of incoming to reflected radiation the values obtained are independent of variations in solar elevation, and azimuth angle and atmospheric conditions. A filter wheel with four interchangeable interference filters is used for wavelength selection. The spectroradiometer traverses above a crop canopy on a movable track. This makes it possible to compare measurements from various locations several times in an hour, and to study more than one canopy a day. This instrument provides agronomists with data to estimate crop canopy characteristics such as leaf area index (LAI) rapidly and nondestructively. It also measures the variability of canopy reflectance introduced by temporal and spatial factors.