NONDESTRUCTIVE ESTIMATION OF LEAF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS IN EUCALYPTUS PLANTATIONS

ABSTRACT Determination of leaf nutrient concentrations is traditionally performed by carrying out destructive procedures, requiring laboratory chemical analysis, specialized equipment, and skilled labor. However, technological advances in recent years have now made it possible to analyze leaf nutrient concentrations using non-destructive methods such as leaf reflectance. This study evaluates the relationship between leaf reflectance and nutrient concentration in order to develop and apply nutrient indices by proximal sensing data in plantations of Eucalyptus. Two experiments were carried out for the development, application and validation of nutrient indices in Eucalyptus stands in the municipalities of Lassance and Três Marias, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Study I was undertaken in Eucalyptus stands with 25 months old and, three clones. Leaves from the lower crown were visually classified into five color patterns using the Munsell chart for plant tissues. Study II was carried out in commercial stands of a hybrid of Eucalyptus urophylla ST Blake, whith 9, 12, 15 and 25 months old. Analysis revealed strong relationships between leaf nutrients and leaf reflectance in the visible and near infrared regions (400 - 900 nm) of the light spectrum. Correlation analysis between leaf reflectance and nutrients can be useful in an exploratory analysis of leaf nutrient concentration. Some nutrient indices developed (NI, PI, SI and CuI) provided satisfactory estimates of leaf nutrient concentration in Eucalyptus stands. The nutrient indices developed in this study may be a useful alternative to laboratory chemical analysis.