Analysis of grass silage from Northwestern Spain by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was evaluated for the determination of protein, crude fiber (CF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in grass silage. Calibration equations were based on analyses of 366 samples of grass silage produced in Northwestern Spain over 4 consecutive years (1992-1995) and validated by analyses of a set of 72 silage samples harvested during 1996. Dried and ground samples were analyzed by chemical and NIRS procedures. The spectral data were analyzed by regression against a range of chemical parameters, using modified partial least-squares (MPLS) multivariate analysis in conjunction with different mathematical treatments of the spectra. For each parameter, the optimum calibration was evaluated on the basis of the coefficient of multiple determination (R2), the coefficient of simple correlation (r2), the standard error of calibration (SEC), the standard error of cross-validation (SECV), and the standard error of validation (SEV). R2 and r2 were >0.90; SEC values were 0.58, 1.04, 1.40, and 1.75; SECV values were 0.64,1.15,1.50, and 2.04; and SEV values were 0.56,1.02, 1.42, and 1.80 for protein, CF, ADF, and NDF, respectively. The ratio of the standard deviation of the reference data to the SEV was >3.0 for each of the 4 parameters, which indicates that the equations can be used in routine analysis.