Lancaster University Morecambe, England, United Kingdom
Body of Abstract: •
Background: Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), an invasive plant species, causes negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. A female clone in the United Kingdom, its extensive rhizome system enables rapid vegetative spread. Plasticity permits this species to occupy a broad geographic range and survive harsh abiotic conditions. It is notoriously difficult to control with traditional management strategies, which include repetitive herbicide application and costly carbon-intensive rhizome excavation. This problem is complicated by crossbreeding with closely related species leading to misidentification.
•
Methods: We have explored the opportunities offered by advances in the application of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy linked chemometrics within plant sciences, for the identification and control of knotweed, to enhance our understanding of knotweed biology, and the potential of this technique. Analysis of ATR-FTIR spectral profiles of Japanese knotweed leaf material and xylem sap samples provided information about important biological absorptions due to lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.
•
Results: Technical advances were made for the application of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to plant science, including definition of the environmental factors that exert the most significant influence on spectral profiles, evaluation of sample preparation techniques, and identification of key wavenumbers for prediction of hormone concentrations and abiotic stress. Results include successful identification of plants from different growing regions which highlights the plasticity of this clonal species; differentiation between related species and hybrids; and prediction of key physiological characteristics, such as hormone concentrations and root water potential.
•
Conclusion: The presented results cement the position of concatenated midinfrared spectroscopy and machine learning as a powerful approach for the study of plant biology and demonstrate a potential for the discrimination between and control of invasive plant species.