Development of a Non-destructive Starch Concentration Measurement Technique in Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i> L.) Corms Using Light Scattering Image Analysis

Abstract

This research aimed to develop regression models that estimate starch concentration in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) corms from hyperspectral light scattering images. Light scattering images were captured from corms at wavelengths from 650 nm to 1,000 nm in 5 nm intervals. Light decay curves were measured, and the integrated value of the curve at each wavelength (S l ) was calculated by image processing algorithms. The starch concentration in each captured corm was also measured using the phenol sulfuric acid colorimetric method for validation. A principal component regression method was applied to develop regression models in order to estimate the starch concentration from the S l spectra. The results indicated that the estimation accuracy was high, and this model had practical use based on the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) criterion (R cal 2 ϭ 0.913, standard error of calibration (SEC) ϭ 1.33 w.b., R val ϭ 0.932, standard error of validation (SEP) ϭ 1.54 w.b., RPD ϭ 2.81). The S l was found to be negatively correlated with starch concentration since light scattering increased considerably as starch concentration increased.

Role of Spectrum-Light on Productivity, and Plant Quality over Vertical Farming Systems: Bibliometric Analysis

“…Vertical farming is increasingly becoming a necessity for agriculture, due to population growth, lack of agricultural space, and reduction of natural resources [9]. This technology has also demonstrated that it may be able to increase yields [13,14] and guarantee year-round production [5], e.g., the production of saffron bulbs [15], bell pepper [16,17], tomato [18], cucumber [19] and strawberry [20,21], which are crops of great economic and commercial interest worldwide; increase compounds naturally [22], and even increase plant defenses against pests and diseases thanks to the activation of genes or proteins produced by artificial light within the VF [23].…”