Infrared spectroscopy can help crop rotation

Infrared spectroscopy can quickly spot beneficial fungi on roots in soil, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) soil scientist Francisco Calderon. The ability to quickly analyze field soils for these beneficial fungi, called mycorrhizae, would allow scientists to judge which crop rotations or other farming practices increase mycorrhizal fungi. This is important nationwide to improve crop yields, and especially critical in semi-arid areas like the Central Great Plains.

The scientists measured the reflectance of infrared light from dried, powdered carrot root samples. They found that the cell wall chitin and fatty acids in mychorrhizal fungi have distinct spectral signatures, absorbing infrared at wavelengths different than standard chitin and fatty acid samples and different than non-mychorrhizal root samples. Read more...

This research was published in the Journal of Applied Spectroscopy.


This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.