News
Measuring Instruments
Introducing the Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus,
an instrument for non-destructively
checking the growth conditions of plants
October 8, 2009
Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc. (Headquarters: Sakai, Osaka, JAPAN; President: Toshihiko Karasaki; hereinafter referred to as "Konica Minolta") is proud to announce that the Chlorophyll Meter SPAD 502Plus, a lightweight handheld instrument which can help in understanding the growth conditions of plants, etc. and management of supplementary fertilizers, will be introduced on November 2009.
| Product | Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus |
|---|---|
| Start of sales | November 2009 |
The Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus is an instrument which measures the amount of chlorophyll (an important factor for understanding the nutritional condition of the plant) in a plant leaf, and displays the results as SPAD values*1.
Measurements can be taken instantly on site without the need to cut off leaf samples by simply projecting light through a leaf, and can be used for agricultural products such as rice, corn, wheat, cotton, and other fruits and vegetables as well as ornamental or foliage plants.
With the growing worldwide need for food and the resulting increases in demand for fertilizer, the price of fertilizer has risen, and efforts by agribusinesses to reduce fertilizer expenses through fertilization design, etc. to avoid over-fertilization are accelerating. The Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus is an ideal tool for such efforts.
Since the introduction of Konica Minolta’s first Chlorophyll Meter, the SPAD-501*2, in 1984, SPAD series meters have been used throughout the world for determining the growth conditions and fertilization control of a wide variety of plants.
The new Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus is equipped with a trend graph display function to enable monitoring of changes in measurement data over time and at-a-glance judgment of abnormal values. In addition, measurement mistakes can be deleted in the graph display so that accurate average values can be displayed.
The Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus continues the SPAD series features of a compact lightweight body, which at 200g is approximately 10% lighter than the preceding SPAD-502 model. It is also waterproof*3, so measurements can be taken in the field even when it is raining. Power consumption is also low, enabling more than 20,000 measurements using 2 AA-size batteries, making it very environmentally friendly.
Konica Minolta continues to develop precise sensing technology and applications in order to offer solutions matching customer needs and to maintain our status as "essential" for customers.
- *1
- SPAD value: Index value displayed by Konica Minolta Chlorophyll meters and having a correlation to chlorophyll density
- *2
- The Chlorophyll Meter SPAD series are measuring instruments developed by Konica Minolta under the guidance of research specialists from the research laboratories and technical laboratories of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries as well as various prefectural research laboratories as part of the Soil & Plant Analyzer Development (SPAD) large-scale business project of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
- *3
- Immersion in water or washing with water is not possible.
Main Features of Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus
1．Compact, lightweight, waterproof instrument for on-site measurements in the field
Small enough to fit in a pocket and with a weight of only 200g, the SPAD-502Plus is easy to take into the field, and its waterproof design (IPX-4) enables measurements even in the rain.
- *
- Immersion in water or washing with water is not possible.
2．Trend graph display function
Up to 30 measurements can be stored in memory and displayed on a trend graph to enable the changes of measurement data over time to be monitored and abnormal data to be seen at a glance.
3．No need to cut leaves to take samples, so the same point can be measured repeatedly over time as it continues to grow.
Measurements are taken by just inserting the leaf to be measured into the measurement head and pressing the head closed. Since there is no need to cut the leaf, measurements can be taken without damaging the leaf, enabling the same leaf to be measured several times as it continues to grow and develop.
Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus Specifications
| Type | Chlorophyll Meter SPAD-502Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement subject | Crop leaves | |
| Measurement method | Optical density difference at 2 wavelengths | |
| Measurement area | 2mm×3mm | |
| Subject thickness | 1.2mm maximum | |
| Subject insertion depth | 12mm (with stopper having position adjustable from 0 to 6mm) | |
| Light source | 2 LED elements | |
| Receptor | 1 SPD (silicon photodiode) | |
| Display | LCD panel showing 4-digit measurement value (values shown to first decimal place) and 2-digit number of measurements; Trend graph of values in memory can also be shown. | |
| Display range | -9.9 to 199.9 SPAD units | |
| Memory function | Memory capacity for up to 30 values; Calculation/display of average of data in memory also possible | |
| Operating switches | Power switch | Switches power on and off. |
| Measurement switch | (Inside measuring head; Operated when head is closed.) Performs calibration and measurement | |
| AVERAGE button | Displays average of all values in memory. | |
| ALL DATA CLEAR button | Deletes all data from memory. | |
| DATA RECALL button | Recalls data in memory to display. | |
| 1 DATA DELETE button | Deletes most recent measured data or currently displayed data in memory | |
| Power source | 2 AA-size alkaline batteries | |
| Battery life | More than 20,000 measurements (when using new alkaline batteries under Konica Minolta test conditions) | |
| Minimum interval between measurements | Approx. 2 seconds | |
| Accuracy | Within ±1.0 SPAD units (for SPAD value between 0.0 and 50.0 under normal temperature/humidity) "*" added to display when measurement exceeds 50.0 SPAD units |
|
| Repeatability | Within ±0.3 SPAD units | For SPAD value between 0.0 and 50.0 (with no change in sample position) |
| Reproducibility | Within ±0.5 SPAD units | |
| Temperature drift | Within ±0.04 SPAD units/°C | |
| Operating temperature/humidity range | 0 to 50°C; Relative humidity of 85% or less (at 35°C) with no condensation | |
| Storage temperature/humidity range | -20 to 55°C; Relative humidity of 85% or less (at 35°C) with no condensation | |
| Size; Weight | 78（W）×164（H）×49（D）mm、200g（excluding batteries） | |
| Other | Warning buzzer; User compensation factor | |
| Standard accessories | Depth stop; Strap; 2 AA-size alkaline batteries; Soft case; Reading checker | |
- Specifications and appearance subject to change without notice.
- Company names and product names herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
