Non-invasive Estimation of Foliar Nitrogen Concentration Using Spectral Characteristics of Menthol Mint (Mentha arvensis L.)

Praveen Pandey; Swati Singh; Mohammad Saleem Khan; Mohammad Saleem Khan; Manoj Semwal; Manoj Semwal

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.680282

Frontiers in Plant Science (May 2022)

Non-invasive Estimation of Foliar Nitrogen Concentration Using Spectral Characteristics of Menthol Mint (Mentha arvensis L.)

Praveen Pandey,
Swati Singh,
Mohammad Saleem Khan,
Mohammad Saleem Khan,
Manoj Semwal,
Manoj Semwal

Affiliations

Praveen Pandey: Information and Communication Technology Department, CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India
Swati Singh: Information and Communication Technology Department, CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India
Mohammad Saleem Khan: Information and Communication Technology Department, CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India
Mohammad Saleem Khan: Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
Manoj Semwal: Information and Communication Technology Department, CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India
Manoj Semwal: Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.680282
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13

Abstract

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Menthol mint (Mentha arvensis L., Family: Lamiaceae), popularly known as corn mint or Japanese mint, is an important industrial crop that is widely grown for its valued essential oil. Nitrogen (N) is an important macro-nutrient and an essential factor for optimizing the yield and quality of crops. Hence, rapid and accurate estimation of the N content is crucial for nutrient diagnosis in plants and to make precise N fertilizer recommendations. Generally, N concentration is estimated by destructive sampling methods; however, an indirect assessment may be possible based on spectral characteristics. This study aimed to compare the foliar N concentration based on non-destructive (reflectance) and destructive (laboratory analyses) methods in menthol mint. Foliar N concentration was measured through the Kjeldahl method and reflectance by Miniature Leaf Spectrometer C-710 (CID Bio-Science). Using reflectance data, several vegetation indices (VIs), that is, normalized difference red edge (NDRE), red edge normalized difference vegetation index (reNDVI), simple ratio (SR), green–red vegetation index (GRVI), canopy chlorophyll content index (CCCI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), green chlorophyll index (CIGreen), red edge chlorophyll index (CIRed Edge), canopy chlorophyll index (CCI), normalized pigment chlorophyll ratio index (NPCI), and structure insensitive pigment index (SIPI), were developed to determine the foliar N concentration. The highest correlation (r) between VIs and foliar N concentrations was achieved by NDRE (0.89), followed by reNDVI (0.84), SR (0.83), GRVI (0.78), and CCCI (0.76). Among the VIs, the NDRE index has been found to be the most accurate index that can precisely predict the foliar N concentration (R2 = 0.79, RMSE = 0.18). In summary, the N deficiencies faced by the crop during its growth period can be detected effectively by calculating NDRE and reNDVI, which can be used as indicators for recommending precise management strategies for the application of nitrogenous fertilizers.

Published in Frontiers in Plant Science

ISSN: 1664-462X (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Plant culture
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science

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