Detection of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient status in winter wheat using spectral radiance

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are major limiting nutrient elements for crop production and continued interest lies in improving their use efficiency. Spectral radiance measurements were evaluated to identify optimum wavelengths for dual detection of N and P status in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). A factorial treatment arrangement of N and P (0, 56, 112, and 168 kg N ha(-1) and 0, 14.5, and 29 kg P ha(-1)) was used to further study N and P uptake and associated spectral properties at Perkins and Tipton, Oklahoma. A wide range of spectral radiance measurements (345-1,145 nm) were obtained from each plot using a PSD1000 Ocean Optics fiber optic spectrometer. At each reading date, 78 bands and 44 combination indices were generated to test for correlation with forage biomass and N and P uptake. Additional spectral radiance readings were collected using an integrated sensor which has photodiode detectors and interference filters for red and NIR. For this study, simple numerator/ denominator indices were useful in predicting biomass, and N uptake and P uptake. Numerator wavelengths that ranged between 705 and 735 nm and denominator wavelengths between 505 and 545 nm provided reliable prediction of forage biomass, and N and P uptake over locations and Feekes growth stages 4 through 6. Using the photodiode sensor, NDVI [(NIR-red)/(NIR+red)] and NR [(NIR\red)], were also good indices to predict biomass, and N and P uptake. However, no index was found to be good for detecting solely N and P concentration either using the spectrometer or photodiode sensor.