Near infrared reflectance spectroscopic determination of protein nitrogen in plant tissue.

A rapid, nondestructive method is described for the determination of protein nitrogen in plant tissue, using near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy. Procedures for instrument calibration are discussed. Comparisons between Kjeldahl nitrogen and NIR nitrogen are made for corn leaf tissue from Georgia and Indiana. Multiple correlation coefficients for other plant tissues such as peanuts, soybean, wheat, pecan, bermuda grass, and bent grass are also shown.