Spectrographic measurement of plant pigments from 300 to 800 nm

•Spectra representative of in vivo absorption were collected for six plant pigments.•Chromatography was used to separate the pigments prior to spectral measurements.•The spectra for anthocyanin and betacyanin were collected from 300 to 800 nm.•The spectra collected may be suitable for leaf optical properties modeling.•Data for anthocyanin, betacyanin, and betaxanthin were previously unavailable.

The spectral data of many plant pigments available in the literature are limited in their range and resolution. The objective of this project was to obtain improved spectral data that are representative of in vivo absorption characteristics for a selection of pigments relevant to leaf reflectance modeling. Absorption spectra of anthocyanins, betacyanins, betaxanthins, chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids were obtained between 300 and 800 nm at 1-nm intervals. These pigments were extracted from plant material and separated using column and thin layer chromatography. The two methods showed consistent results for all pigments except the chlorophylls which could not be fully separated using simple column chromatography. The anthocyanin and betacyanin spectra were very similar but anthocyanin displayed greater absorption in the UV range.