Use of near infrared spectroscopy for the evaluation of forage for ruminants

Abstract

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a technology that has been applied to evaluate the quality of forage for ruminants. This paper describes how the NIRS technique has been applied to the evaluation of fresh, dried and ground forage with, for example, laboratory bench equipment, portable equipment, and the use in drones and tractors. The technology has been widely implemented in the evaluation of chemical composition (dry matter, crude protein, neutral and acid detergent fiber, lignin, and ether extract), digestibility, gas production, intake and other parameters of forage quality with the benefits of not destroying samples, not using reagents and providing rapid analyses, among others.