Utility of proximal plant sensors to support nitrogen fertilization in Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. is a commonly grown ornamental worldwide. A proper timing of nitrogen (N) supply is essential for a qualitative crop and the return on investment for growers. Sub-optimal nitrogen nutrition negatively influences the commercial plant quality, while supra-optimal N has an environmental impact due to nitrate leaching. Therefore, (a) reliable indicator(s) of plant nitrogen status is/are needed. Two field-grown potted Chrysanthemum cultivars, ‘Maya’ and ‘Orlando’ were studied for three consecutive years (2016–2018). Three different N treatments were applied in order to obtain a variation in N content. Plant quality measurements consisted of plant height, diameter, leaf mass per area (2017 and 2018 only), biomass and foliar and plant N content analysis. Optical measurements were performed with a SPAD sensor (2016 and 2017) and a Dualex Scientific sensor (2017 and 2018) on leaf level and with a GreenSeeker NDVI meter on canopy level. Biomass, height and diameter tended to be smaller in the minimal fertilizer treatments. Leaf mass per area did influence the relation between N and chlorophyll measured with SPAD and Dualex. Epidermal polyphenolics measured with Dualex correlated better with foliar nitrogen than non-destructive chlorophyll measurements and the nitrogen balance index. Since abaxial epidermal polyphenolics were highly correlated with foliar nitrogen and convenient to measure in-field, we propose this measurement for decision support in Chrysanthemum fertilization. Because of cultivar and sometimes year-to-year variability, reference plots can be of help for growers and advisors. NDVI was found to be more susceptible for yearly variation, but very high correlation with several quality parameters and convenience in use make this vegetation index useful for detecting the extent of spatial quality variability and thus support site dependent N requirements to reach the desired plant diameter at the end of the growing season.