Predicting ruminal degradability and chemical composition of corn silage using near-infrared spectroscopy and multivariate regression

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 4; p. e0296447
• Main Authors: Pucetti, Pauliane, Valadares Filho, Sebastião de Campos, Roque, Jussara Valente, da Silva, Julia Travassos, de Oliveira, Kellen Ribeiro, Silva, Flavia Adriane Sales, Cardoso, Wilson Junior, E Silva, Fabyano Fonseca, Swanson, Kendall Carl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 18-04-2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agricultural research; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Chemical properties; Corn products; Diet; Digestion; Fermentation; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Near infrared spectroscopy; Physical Sciences; Regression analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Rumen - metabolism; Rumination; Silage; Silage - analysis; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Statistical models; Zea mays; Brazil
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296447

The aim of this study was to develop and validate regression models to predict the chemical composition and ruminal degradation parameters of corn silage by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). Ninety-four samples were used to develop and validate the models to predict corn silage composition. A subset of 23 samples was used to develop and validate models to predict ruminal degradation parameters of corn silage. Wet chemistry methods were used to determine the composition values and ruminal degradation parameters of the corn silage samples. The dried and ground samples had their NIR spectra scanned using a poliSPECNIR 900-1700 model NIR sprectrophotometer (ITPhotonics S.r.l, Breganze, IT.). The models were developed using regression by partial least squares (PLS), and the ordered predictor selection (OPS) method was used. In general, the regression models obtained to predict the corn silage composition (P>0.05), except the model for organic matter (OM), adequately estimated the studied properties. It was not possible to develop prediction models for the potentially degradable fraction in the rumen of OM and crude protein and the degradation rate of OM. The regression models that could be obtained to predict the ruminal degradation parameters showed correlation coefficient of calibration between 0.530 and 0.985. The regression models developed to predict CS composition accurately estimated the CS composition, except the model for OM. The NIR has potential to be used by nutritionists as a rapid prediction tool for ruminal degradation parameters in the field.