Abstract
An attempt was made to study the influence of zinc (Zn) on organic constituents like polysacharides, aminoacids, and chlorophyll using an infrared (IR) technique. Zinc was applied to a soil in the form of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) in different concentrations in which the blackgram plants were grown. The plant leaves were sampled at 30, 45, and 65 days after sowing and analyzed by IR. Intensity variations were observed with age of the plant leaves and with applied Zn concentration. The extinction coefficient ‘k’ was calculated for the prominent absorption bands at 3380, 2928, 1651, and 1026/cm in the near IR. The variations of ‘k’ values with age and concentration of Zn appear to vary linearly with the variations of essential amino acid content in blackgram leaves. The values of ‘k’ increased with low concentrations of Zn upto 150 mg/kg, while higher concentrations decreased the ‘k’ values.