CHLOROPHYLL ANALYSIS OF WHOLE RAPESEED KERNELS BY NEAR INFRARED REFLECTANCE
Chlorophyll content was determined in whole rapeseed samples, from Regent and Candle cultivars, by using a reflectance technique in the visible and near infrared region. Chlorophyll content was estimated with good accuracy when predicted results for 42 samples of Regent, 37 samples of Candle and 79 samples for both cultivars combined were compared with standard laboratory results. For Regent, a multiple correlation coefficient (R) of 0.944 and a standard error of estimate (Sy) of 4.7 were obtained when reflectance was measured at six wavelengths. For Candle, R = 0.963 and Sy = 4.4, using another six wavelengths. For both cultivars combined, R = 0.939 and Sy = 4.8, again using a different set of six wavelengths. Wavelengths for predicting chlorophyll were selected from the 630-to 754-nm visible region, and from the 1640- to 2176-nm near infrared region. This reflectance method described for whole rapeseed is rapid, involves no sample preparation, and leaves the seed intact and available for other uses.