Fast screening of total nutrient contents in strawberry leaves and spent growing media using NIRS

Abstract

Introduction: In closed-loop soilless cultivation, the main nutrient sinks are nutrients retained either by the crop or in spent growing media. Measurement of nutrients in spent growing media and in the aboveground vegetative plant biomass at crop termination can be a tool for assessing and optimizing nutrient efficiency. The first aim of this study was to test the potential of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to forecast the various nutrient contents in strawberry leaves, which would then allow for assessment of crop nutrient status and total nutrient uptake by strawberry plants. The second aim was to test NIRS as a high throughput technique for assessing the N, K, Ca, Mg and organic matter (OM) content and the pH, EC and C:N and C:P ratios for a dataset of composts, plant fibers and spent growing media. The NIRS prediction model for fast screening of the total nutrient contents in spent growing media was compared with a single extraction method.

Methods: A database with 369 dried and ground strawberry leaf samples with known contents of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg were scanned using NIRS. The database covered a range of leaf contents of 6-35 g N/kg dry matter (DM), 0.7-6.3 g P/kg DM and 2-29 g K/kg DM. A dataset of 458 samples of different types of materials used in growing media was validated with a dataset of 109 samples.

Results: Validation for the strawberry leaves indicated potential for this application, with R² values of 0.90 or higher for N, K and Ca, and R² values higher than 0.85 for P and Mg. Validation for the dataset of composts, plant fibers and spent growing media also indicated the potential for this application, with R² values of 0.90 or higher for organic matter, and with R² values of 0.85 or higher for total Ca, pH and C:N. A first test indicated potential for the calibration based on fresh samples of compost, plant fiber as well as spent growing media or dried (not ground) samples.

Discussion: Use of NIRS on fresh samples would eliminate the need for drying and grinding the samples and would reduce screening time. The ammonium acetate extraction is a reliable alternative to NIRS for fast screening of the total P, K, Ca, and Mg contents in composts, plant fibers and spent growing media.

Keywords: circular horticulture; controlled environment agriculture (CEA); crop nutrient uptake; high throughput; peat replacement; sustainable growing media; vertical farming.