NIRS estimation of drought stress on chemical quality constituents of taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) flours
Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) are important food crops worldwide, whose productivity is threatened by climatic constraints, namely drought. Data calibration, validation, and model development of high-precision near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) involving multivariate analyses are needed for the fast prediction of the quality of tubers and shoots impacted by drought stress. The main objective of this study was to generate accurate NIRS models for quality assessment of taro and sweet potato accessions (acc.) subjected to water scarcity conditions. Seven taro and eight sweet potato acc. from diverse geographical origins were evaluated for nitrogen (N), protein (Pt), starch (St), total mineral (M), calcium oxalate (CaOx), carbon isotope discrimination (∆13C), and nitrogen isotopic composition (δ15N). Models were developed separately for both crops underground and aboveground organs. N, Pt, St, and M models could be used as quality control constituents, with a determination coefficient of prediction (r²pred) between 0.856 and 0.995. δ13C, δ15N, and CaOx, with r²pred between 0.178 and 0.788, could be used as an informative germplasm screening tool. The approach used in the present study demonstrates NIRS's potential for further research on crop quality under drought.