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Drying Method Effect on Leaf Chemical Constituents of Four Crop Species¹

Method of drying is known to influence chemical composition of plant tissue. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of air- and oven-drying with freeze-drying on subsequent recovery of various chemical constituents of leaves of greenhouse grown maize (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). For all species, leaf moisture and the concentrations of reduced N, nitrate N, and P were similar following freeze-drying, air-drying (26°C), or oven-drying at 60, 70 or 80°C or at 100°C for 1 h followed by 70°C (100/70°C). The total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) concentrations in leaves of maize and soybean were also unaffected by drying method. In contrast, TNC concentrations in leaves of wheat and sunflower were decreased by about 8 and 25%, respectively, by all non-cryogenic procedures. For maize and soybean, only those leaves dried at 80°C or 100/70°C retained concentrations of starch and sugar similar to freeze-dried tissue. For wheat, and especially sunflower, all non-cryogenic procedures caused decreases in either starch or sugar concentrations in the leaves. Freeze-drying is the preferred drying method, but for some species oven-drying provides a valid alternative.

Key Words: Maize • Soybean • Wheat • Sunflower • Total nonstructural carbohydrates • Nitrate N • Reduced N • P

² Undergraduate student, research associate, and professor of Agronomy. This research was supported by an award to the senior author from the Undergraduate Research/Scholarship Program, College of Agriculture, Univ. of Illinois.

Received for publication August 15, 1984.