|
Project properties |
|
| Title | Determination of Fungal Biomass using VNIR/MIR spectroscopy |
| Group | Soil Geography and Landscape |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Titia Mulder (SGL), Rachel Creamer (SBL), Fenny van Egmond (WENR) |
| Examiner(s) | Titia Mulder |
| Contact info | titia.mulder@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2022/01/03 |
| End date | |
| Description | VNIR and MIR spectroscopy for analysing physicochemical soil properties has proven to be efficient and relatively accurate compared to wet chemistry methods. Recently, studies have started exploring the use of VNIR/MIR spectroscopy for estimating microbial biomass concentration, based on the amount of Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFAs). PLFA profiles reflect the fingerprint of microbial communities and classes of PLFA are used as biomarkers for different taxonomic or functional groups of soil microorganisms. In this project you will explore if and how VNIR and MIR spectroscopy can be used to estimate fungal biomass. Laboratory analysis will be part of the thesis work. A comprehensive spectral feature analysis will be needed to provide insight in key absorption features of fungi. Moreover, sophisticated statistical modelling using spectral libraries will be used for quantifying the fungal biomass.
Further reading: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108319 |
| Used skills | Laboratory analysis, R scripting |
| Requirements | Understanding of Soil Biology and Soil Spectroscopy |