The purpose of this research was to evaluate the performance of a new portable chlorophyll meter in the indirect determination of chlorophyll contents in Tifton 85 bermudagrass leaves. In a field trial of short duration, three N doses (0, 75 and 150kg ha-1) were combined with four sampling dates (8, 16, 24 e 28 days after a cut for sward uniformity) in completely randomized blocks, with treatments arranged in a split-plot design. Analyses were performed in the youngest fully expanded leaf blade. Contents of chlorophylls a, b and total were quantified spectrophotometrically, after extraction with acetone 80%, while chlorophyll meter readings, expressed as Falker Chlorophyll Index (FCI) units, provided the same information. Chlorophyll meter readings were sensitive to both N rates and sampling dates. It were obtained significant positive correlations between both methods (chlorophyll a: r=0.646, chlorophyll b: r=0.797 and for total chlorophyll: r=0.721). It was concluded that this new chlorophyll meter constitutes an appropriate tool for the indirect determination of foliar chlorophyll contents in Tifton 85 pastures.
Cynodon spp; nitrogen fertilization; total chlorophyll
