Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Integration in the Regular Monitorization of Pasture Nutritional Properties and Gas Production

Nutrition has a very significant impact on animal performance. Given the limited agricultural area of the Azores, the optimization of forage quality, quantity, and availability is key for the local livestock industry’s ability to respond to the challenges of an increasingly globalized market. This w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAgriculture (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 7; p. 1398
Main Authors Maduro Dias, Cristiana, Nunes, Helder, Borba, Alfredo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2023
Subjects
Altitude
Analysis
Calibration
chemometrics
Design optimization
diet optimization
Dry matter
Forage
Gas production
Infrared spectra
Infrared spectroscopy
Islands
Livestock
Livestock industry
Mathematical models
Methods
Natural gas
Near infrared radiation
near-infrared spectroscopy
Nondestructive testing
Nutrition
Oil and gas production
Onsite
Parameters
Pasture
Pastures
Production data
Red clover
ruminant nutrition
Spectrum analysis
Azores
United Kingdom
United States > US
Terceira
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Summary:Nutrition has a very significant impact on animal performance. Given the limited agricultural area of the Azores, the optimization of forage quality, quantity, and availability is key for the local livestock industry’s ability to respond to the challenges of an increasingly globalized market. This work’s goal was to evaluate the use of near-infrared spectroscopy to determine several chemical and biological parameters of pastures under the agroclimatic conditions of the Azores, and to compare its predicative ability when applied to dry homogeneous samples and to fresh inhomogeneous samples, so that we can assess the feasibility of using it to predict new samples on-site in the future. Infrared spectra of 400 fresh and dried grass samples were collected and associated with the corresponding reference values, determined through conventional methods. Mathematical models were created that established relationships between these readings and the values of the properties of interest. Predictive capacity proved especially good for crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, ash, and dry matter, but insufficient for the biological parameters included in the study related to gas production. Near-infrared spectroscopy proved to be useable on-site as a quick, non-destructive, and cost-effective technique to monitor forage quality on a regular basis, enabling forage management and diet design optimizations.
ISSN:2077-0472
2077-0472
DOI:10.3390/agriculture13071398