2. Phenotyping kernel composition traits
• FOSS 6500 Near Infrared
Reflectance spectroscopy
• ~200-300 whole seeds per
sample
• Scan time ~30 seconds
Fig. FOSS® 6500 NIR Instrument
3. Steps involved during NIR calibration
Partial Least Squares 1
(UnScrambler® software)
4. Step 1- A. Samples for NIR calibration : NAM
Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs)
• 210 samples were selected for NIR calibration
• NIR predicted values for Starch, Protein and Oil of the NAM
RILs by Syngenta
• P39 and Il14H sweet corn NAM families excluded from analysis
Trait Mean Range H2
Starch 67.8 59.7-73.0 0.85
Protein 13.6 10.8-17.7 0.83
Oil 4.2 3.6-6.4 0.86
JP Cook et al. Plant Physiology (2012) vol. 158 no. 2 824-834
Table. Means, ranges and heritability estimates of
kernel composition traits in the NAM population
5. Step 1- B. Collecting NIR reflectance data
• Spectra collected from
wavelength 400nm –
2490nm with the increment
of 10nm
• Collected spectra were
treated with Multiple Scatter
Correction (MSC) and 1st
derivative to reduce the
noise caused due to spectral
scattering and increase
signal intensity
Fig. Raw NIR reflectance spectra
Fig. MSC + 1st derivative of NIR reflectance spectra
6. Step 2. Wet lab analysis
Trait B73 Mean Median Std. Dev. Variance Range Count
Starch ~70% 68.65 68.60 5.40 29.20 55.34 - 82.33 209
Protein ~10% 12.91 12.90 3.08 9.51 6.76 - 21.40 210
Oil ~4% 2.81 2.80 1.22 1.48 0.16 - 6.34 210
Table . Statistics of reference values in the NIR calibration set and B73
• Agricultural Experiment Station Chemical Laboratories at MU
• Proximate Analyses :
• Crude Protein (Kjeldahl), Crude Fat, Moisture, Ash, and
Crude Fiber
• Total Starch Analyses
• Samples in the calibration and validation sets were adjusted to a
dry matter basis (DMB)
7. NIR Calibration and Validation Results
Constituent n r Error (calibration) Bias Slope
Protein 190 0.95 0.719 7.856e-07 1.0
Starch 190 0.83 2.705 -2.811e-07 1.0
Oil 190 0.65 0.951 1.815e-07 1.0
Constituent n r Error (prediction) Bias Slope
Protein 19 0.927 0.806 -0.06841 0.987522
Starch 19 0.78 3.062 -0.06556 0.861095
Oil 20 0.63 0.780 1.317855 0.788155
Table 2. Validation statistics of NIR calibration for protein, starch and oil in whole
maize kernels
Table 1. Calibration statistics of NIR calibration for protein, starch and oil in whole
maize kernels
8. NIR calibration – Protein content in whole maize
kernels
Fig 1. Scatter plot of analytically measured and predicted
values for protein content in whole kernels of maize.
Fig 2. Scatter plot of the NIR-predicted and analytical
reference values for protein content using developed
PLS model.
Calibration result - Protein Validation result - Protein
r = 0.97 r = 0.96
9. NIR calibration – Starch content in whole maize
kernels
Fig 1. Scatter plot of analytically measured and predicted
values for starch content in whole kernels of maize.
Fig 2. Scatter plot of the NIR-predicted and analytical
reference values for starch content using developed PLS
model in whole kernels of maize.
Calibration result - Starch Validation result - Starch
r = 0.82 r = 0.78
10. NIR calibration – Oil content in whole maize
kernels
Fig 1. Scatter plot of analytically measured and predicted
values for Oil content in whole kernels of maize.
Fig 2. Scatter plot of the NIR-predicted and analytical
reference values for Oil content using developed PLS
model in whole kernels of maize.
Calibration result - Oil Validation result - Oil
r = 0.65 r = 0.62
11. NIR (reflectance) prediction of single-kernel composition:
A study conducted by Dr. A. Mark Settles
Fig. Scatter plots of NIR-predicted and analytical reference values for starch (A), protein (B), and oil (C).
Spielbauer et al. Cereal Chemistry., 86 (2009), pp. 556–564
12. R
Readout electronics
Sample cell
Mono-chromator
Radiation source
T
NIR Reflectance Detector
NIR Transmittance
Detector
Readout electronics
NIR Reflectance v/s NIR Transmittance
B. Floury
endosperm
C. Embryo
A. Vitreous
endosperm
Heavily encapsulated starch granules by prolamin-proteins
Less encapsulated starch granules by prolamin-proteins