Estimation of the nutritive value of grasslands with the Yara N-sensor field spectrometer

Forage crops are essential to the agricultural industry in Nordic countries. Economic and ecological performances are directly linked to adapted farming practices, which require timely and precise information on the nutritive value of the forage. Field spectrometers could offer an interesting alternative to time-consuming laboratory measurements, as they provide near real time information. This study evaluated the potential of a handheld field spectrometer to estimate the nutritive quality of grassland. The spectrometer was able to predict the in vitro true digestibility and neutral detergent fiber with a high accuracy (R2 of 0.64 and 0.78, respectively). The spectrometer also showed promise for predicting crude protein and neutral detergent fiber digestibility, but more data is needed to improve the accuracy of these predictions. These results suggest that field spectrometers could be a valuable tool for farmers in Nordic countries. Spectrometers could be used to quickly and easily assess the nutritive value of forage, which could help farmers to make more informed decisions about their farming practices.

MOREL Julien;  ZHOU Zhenjiang;  MONTEIRO Leonardo;  PARSONS David; 

2023-12-07

John Wiley and Sons Ltd

JRC135394

2578-2703 (online),   

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ppj2.20054,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135394,   

10.1002/ppj2.20054 (online),