Uso de imagens digitais na diagnose do teor de nitrogênio foliar em plantas de alface

Abstract

The quantification of chlorophyll can be done by direct, destructive, or indirect, non-destructive methods. The latter are being used more often because they are faster and cost less, examples are SPAD portable meters. Data collected with digital cameras can also be used to detect levels of nutritional stress, allowing adjustments in the nitrogen fertilization program, even during the crop cycle. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the spectral response of lettuce plants submitted to different doses of nitrogen and to correlate values of spectral reflectance with the chlorophyll content obtained from conventional methods. A lettuce ((Lactuca sativa L.) experiment was carried out with 6 treatments (0; 50; 100; 150; 200 e 250 kg/ha) and 4 replicates, where the correlation between the relative levels of leaf chlorophyll and the digital levels of 3 spectral bands was evaluated (Red, Green e Blue). The relative contents of chlorophyll were collected by SPAD portable apparatus and the digital levels were extracted from the analysis of digital photographic images through the Spring software. It was concluded that the Green band presents good prospects for reflectance ratings and that the use of digital cameras in agriculture constitutes an important advance in technology in terms of decision support.