An Overview on the Use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) on Farms for the Management of Dairy Cows

Abstract

Dairy farming is increasingly affected by the digital revolution. To respond to current challenges—such as environmental, economic, and social sustainability—new technologies must be adopted, entering the perspective of precision livestock farming. This is made possible by the development of countless sensors to be adopted in the barn. The technology that is affecting various aspects of dairy cattle breeding is certainly near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) which is versatile and can be used online/inline to evaluate and control the critical points of the production process by entering the PAT (process analytical technology). In the barn, NIRS currently can obtain information on the chemical-physical composition of raw materials, total mixed ration (TMR), feces and digestibility, chemical and technological analysis of milk. All this in a short time by eliminating the waiting times for analysis response and costs, allowing an improvement of livestock management. Many studies affirm the validity of NIRS as a reliable and predictive technology against multiple relevant parameters in matrices such as raw feed, TMR, feces, and milk. This review highlights the usefulness of NIRS technology in dairy farm with particular attention to portable instrumentation usable directly on the farm.

Precision Agriculture for Crop and Livestock Farming—Brief Review

“…In the next few years, we might be able to adjust the nutrient intake to match the requirements of individual animals in real-time, based on their state-specific needs, as estimated from the sensor data [ 77 ]. We must also emphasize a study by Evangelista et al [ 81 ] that highlights the use of portable near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate the physio-chemical composition of total mixed ration (TMR) and manure in dairy farms. According to the authors, the use on barn NIRS, through appropriate calibrations, is a rapid and accurate analytical technique with high potential benefits.…”

Real-Time Quantification of Crude Protein and Neutral Detergent Fibre in Pastures under Montado Ecosystem Using the Portable NIR Spectrometer

“…The survey of the spatial and temporal variability of biomass, based on the cutting and collection of pasture samples, is a destructive, time-consuming, expensive [13,14], and labour-demanding method, impracticable from a practical perspective [15], which has led to a growing interest in expeditious methods [16]. The time required to sample processing [11] and to obtain the results of the determinations of the nutritional value of the pasture [10], carried out in the laboratory, is also another indirect cost, often preventing the use of these determinations by the farmer for decision-making [12,13,17]. Indirect pasture sampling methods minimize the physical removal of vegetation and were mainly developed with the aim of obtaining rapid methods that can be used over large areas [18].…”

“…This technique measures the spectrum of infrared energy reflected from a sample illuminated by white light [11]. NIR radiation has an amplitude from about 780 to 2500 nm in the electromagnetic spectrum [17,[21][22][23]. According to Murphy et al [24] this radiation amplitude varies between 700 and 2500 nm.…”

“…Givens and Deaville [25] refer that this spectral region varies between 730 and 2500 nm. NIR measurements can occur by transmittance, reflectance or transflection; transmittance allows information to be obtained from the entire volume of the sample that is traversed by light, while reflectance only allows information to be obtained from the surface of the sample [17]. With NIRS it is possible to determine the chemical composition of animal feed quickly, non-destructively [10,17], with less sample pre-processing and with high precision [14,25].…”

“…NIR measurements can occur by transmittance, reflectance or transflection; transmittance allows information to be obtained from the entire volume of the sample that is traversed by light, while reflectance only allows information to be obtained from the surface of the sample [17]. With NIRS it is possible to determine the chemical composition of animal feed quickly, non-destructively [10,17], with less sample pre-processing and with high precision [14,25]. According to these authors, this technique contrasts with traditional chemical analyses, as it does not require reagents and does not produce residues.…”