Chemical characterization of a candidate reference material of sugarcane leaves using PGAA with emphasis on n, Si, s, b and mo

• Grant number: 14/06494-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Elisabete Aparecida de Nadai Fernandes
• Grantee: Maria Isabel Vega Martinez
• Supervisor: Rolf Louis Zeisler
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/21675-0 - Development and production of certified reference material of sugarcane leaves for evaluation of nutritional quality, BP.DR

Abstract

Scientists from different research areas have been working to develop new varieties of sugarcane, cultivation practices and agricultural technology for increasing sugarcane productivity, for which the adequate nutrition of sugarcane plants is a key factor. Leaf analysis is an important tool that can be used to evaluate the nutritional status of the sugarcane plant for which the selection of certified reference materials (CRMs) should be appropriate for analytical quality control. According to the international database COMAR, there is no CRM with similar composition to sugarcane leaves regarding macro and micronutrients. Therefore, the PhD project deals with the development of a candidate reference material to meet the growing demand of the sugarcane analytical laboratories. For the characterization of the reference material, validated methods with high level of precision and accuracy will be used to determine the well-known macro (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) and micronutrients (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn), as well as Si, which has been recognized as an important nutrient for sugarcane. The studies already carried out in the project demonstrate that INAA and ICP OES can provide adequate results for eight (Ca, Mg, P, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) out of the thirteen target chemical elements. For measuring B, Mo and Si in sugarcane leaves, sensitive analytical techniques are still missing, while for N and S other independent techniques are required for method validation. In this sense, PGAA, a non-destructive multi-element method largely used in the certification of reference materials, is a promising alternative, since it has a good sensitivity for determining these elements. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARTINEZ, MARIA I. V.; ZEISLER, ROLF; DE NADAI FERNANDES, ELISABETE A.; BACCHI, MARCIO A.. Innovative reference material for improving the quality control in the sucroenergetic sector. ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE, v. 23, n. 6, p. 329-336, DEC 2018. (14/06494-8)

MARTINEZ, MARIA I. V.; ZEISLER, ROLF; DE NADAI FERNANDES, ELISABETE A.; BACCHI, MARCIO A.; TURKOGLU, D. J.. Characterization of an innovative sugarcane leaves reference material by INAA and PGAA. JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY, v. 318, n. 1, p. 739-744, OCT 2018. (14/06494-8)