New Nitrogen Checker Uses Light to Analyze Plant Health

Researchers have developed technology to read the nitrogen level of plants by sending a pulse of polarized light into leaves and analyzing the spectrum of light re-emitted by the plants. Leaves absorb and transmit varying amounts of light, depending on the type of plant and its condition. By using polarized light in the visible red wavelengths of the light spectrum, the scientists have been able to analyze specific levels of chlorophyll molecules to reveal nitrogen levels in the plants.

The team working on the project has built a tractor-mountable device and hopes that it will allow farmers to survey their fields to determine the correct amounts of fertilizers to apply, saving money and reducing the impact of excess fertilizer on the environment.

Link: Field Of Beams: Novel System Uses Polarized Light Pulses To Reveal Crop Health from Science Daily

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 1:54 PM on August 2, 2005

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