Abstract

Full assessment of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools is necessary for long-term sustainability of agricultural production and provides information on plant health and nutrient cycling. A major component of nutrient cycling is plant root C and N. Although root C and N contribute to nutrient cycling, determination of these quantities is laborious and tedious and is, therefore, not commonly done. In this study we attempt to determine the feasibility of using remotely sensed canopy reflectance as a proxy to determine root C and N data of live, standing forages. The study site was the United States Department of Agriculture-Grazinglands Research Laboratory located in El Reno, Oklahoma. Twelve plots in each of two sites (a native, tallgrass prairie and an improved, Old World Bluestem pasture) were used for collection and measurement of root C and root N and measurement of canopy reflectance using a field portable hyperspectral spectroradiometer. Root and soil samples were then taken from under the remote sensed area for total C and N analysis using the combustion method. The results of this study indicated that it is feasible to predict root C and N, but further study is required to improve model accuracy.

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