Traditional quantification of leaf chlorophyll requires destructive sampling of leaves and tedious extraction in 80% acetone (1,2), whereas N, N -dimethylformamide (DMF) is an alternative solvent that does not require tissue grinding (3). Minolta has recently marketed a portable meter (SPAD-501) for a rapid and nondestructive estimate of leaf greenness. Earlier results indicate a weak but significant correlation ( r 2 = 0.48) between SPAD readings and leaf chlorophyll extracted in acetone from data pooled from 22 species (5). The purpose of this study was to address three questions: a) is there a species-specific relationship between the SPAD readings and extractable chlorophyll; b) is the relationship of SPAD readings stronger when chlorophyll is expressed on a leaf area-or fresh-weight basis; and c) what is the consistency between two individual SPAD-501 instruments?
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Marquard et al. (1987) studied this question.