Spatially Correlated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Profiles as a Tool for Precision Agriculture

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) profiling, sample georeferentiaton, and geostatistics are applied to evaluate the spatial variability of metabolic expression of durum wheat in fields managed by precision agriculture. Durum wheat at three different vegetation stages, grown in two different places of the Basilicata region, in Italy, is analyzed by NMR. The spatial variability, within each field, of metabolites, quantified by NMR, is evidenced by appropriate geostatistic tools through the definition of a suitable metabolic index. Metabolic maps are compared to highlight the effects of soil and farming strategies.