Near infrared spectroscopy facilitates rapid identification of both young and mature Amazonian tree species

This study was developed to assess the potencial of the Near Infrared (FT-NIR) Spectroscopy to discrimination Amazon tree species. The species used in the study belong to the Burseraceae, genus Protium and Crepidospermum. The botanical material used was from herbarium specimens collected in Ducke Reserve from January to March 2013, and herbarium specimens that were collected from trees tagged at permanent plots belonging the BDFFP project over the past 35 years. The herbarium specimens correspond to different ontogenetic stages: seedlings, juveniles and adults. The spectral readings are expressed by the values of absorbance between the wavenumbers 4000-10000 (cm-1) in the near infrared.