A new open access study from the Yunosato Aquaphotomics Laboratory and Kobe University applies near-infrared (NIR) aquaphotomics in an open field. It follows how water in soil and plant leaves responds to organic fertilization over a full growing season.
The paper, “NIR aquaphotomics reveals water spectral patterns as multidimensional markers of soil–plant interaction under organic fertilization”, is published in Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy.
In the words of the research team:
This study marks an important milestone in demonstrating the essential role of water in biological systems and the potential of aquaphotomics to reveal it. It presents soil and plants as an integrated biological system, with the water molecular network as their common denominator. Using NIR aquaphotomics, we monitored the water spectral patterns of soil and leaves before organic fertilizer application, throughout plant growth and development, and harvest.
The coordinated changes reveal water as an integrative reporter and molecular mirror of soil–plant interactions. Distinct water spectral patterns characteristic of different stages of plant growth and harvest were identified. This non-destructive, field-applicable approach offers a new way to evaluate fertilization, monitor soil and crop health, and understand the processes influencing plant development and food quality.
About the study
The field experiment compared three soil treatments: no fertilizer, pig manure, and pig manure combined with a plant-derived liquid fertilizer. Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna) and spinach were grown in each. Soil and leaf spectra were recorded over time with a portable NIR spectrometer.
The two organic treatments produced different water spectral patterns and aquagram profiles in both soil and leaves. This suggests differences in how water is organized in the soil–plant system under each fertilization strategy. The authors note that the study covered a single growing season. Further multi-season and multi-location studies would help confirm how broadly the approach applies.
Publication details
Hadiwijaya Y., Dissanayaka S., Stoilov A., Nakanishi T., Sasaki T., Shigeoka S., Tsenkova R. NIR aquaphotomics reveals water spectral patterns as multidimensional markers of soil–plant interaction under organic fertilization. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 365 (2027) 128697.
Read the full open access article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2026.128697
Graphical abstract: Hadiwijaya et al., Spectrochimica Acta Part A (2027), CC BY 4.0. This work was supported by Yunosato Co., Ltd.