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Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for Analyzing Undried Silage^1,2,

Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory, Animal Science Institute, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705

V. F. Colenbrander

Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907

ABSTRACT

Alfalfa, corn, small grain crop, and grass silage samples (n = 146) were collected from farms in Maryland, Virginia, and Indiana to determine the usefulness of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for analyzing the feeding value of wet feedstuffs. Undried silages were analyzed for major components (DM, CP, ADF, NDF, pH, ADIN, NH₃ N, hot water insoluble N, and in vitro digestible DM) and for acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, lactic, and valeric acids by conventional chemical laboratory procedures compared with near infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

Validation sets consisting of one-third of the samples within a group were used to evaluate the accuracy of calibration equations. The coefficients of determination of near infrared analyzed values with conventional chemical assays of major components in the wet alfalfa silages ranged from .78 to .99, except for ADIN. These values ranged from .75 to .96 for wet corn silage components, except for ADIN and hot water insoluble N. Correlations between the two methods of analysis for most of the short-chain organic acids were considerably lower but were higher for the alfalfa than for the corn silages.

Use of different procedures for selecting calibration and validation sets had varying influence on near infrared reflectance spectroscopy estimates depending on the component being analyzed.

¹ Mention of a trade name, proprietary product, or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the US Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be suitable.

² Published as Journal Paper Number 11385, Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station.