Oklahoma State University - Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

2/3/2014 3:31:17 PM

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, HLA-6719.
Use of Reflectance Sensors to Monitor Plant Nitrogen Status in Horticultural Plantsused
Rania Basyouni, Bruce Dunn.

Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development. It is a major component of chlorophyll in plant leaves. Chlorophyll levels affect leaf area, leaf weight, plant size, and transpiration rate. Too little nitrogen can cause nitrogen deficiency symptoms affecting plant quality, productivity, and salability. Too much nitrogen is not good either, as nitrogen toxicity can occur in overfertilized plants, leading to stunted growth and a poor quality plant. Overfertilizing can be a source of unnecessary extra costs as well as an environmental hazard in the case of nutrient runoff. Four approaches to detect plant nitrogen levels in plants include visual diagnosis, soil-testing, foliar analysis, and use of spectral nondestructive sensors. Reflective sensors represent a new approach showing great potential to provide quick and easy, nondestructive estimates of plant nitrogen status. This fact sheet is designed to discuss some different spectral sensors available in the market, including an overview on operating and usage in a greenhouse
link