Analytical methods used to determine mineral concentration in plant materials were
originally developed for soil analysis [6,7] and are not fully optimized for analyzing plant
materials. A desired method for the analysis of plant minerals would include a rapid, nondestructive
analytical method which requires minimum sample processing. Rapid and accurate
analysis of minerals and micronutrients in grains would provide robust data sets required to
develop grains with desired mineral concentrations.
Spectroscopic methods used for characterization generally reflect the molecular
composition and nature of chemical bonds in a sample. UV- visible, Near Infra-Red (NIR) and
Mid Infra-Red (MIR) parts of electromagnetic spectrum are used in absorption techniques to
determine the molecular composition of samples. These techniques have a serious limitation to
determine mineral content, since they depend on correlation between mineral nutrient andpresence of spectroscopically active compound [8]. Therefore, these indirect relationship
requires strict validation and specificity tests before they can be used in plant mineral analysis
[9]. Additionally, the calibrations used in these indirect techniques are limited by the variation of
the composition and distribution of spectroscopically active compounds within and between
plant species [10, 11]. Particle size also affects the distribution of minerals and small focused
beams would result in non-uniform distribution of minerals. In some cases, because of the low
concentrations of minerals, these would not be detected due to low signal to noise ratio, even by
techniques that are highly sensitive [12, 13].