Application of NIRS in nutrient composition evaluation of Lathyrus sativus

摘要

Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) Analysis has applied to measure nutrient composition successfully in many forage species (Jerry et al. 2003). Lathyrus sativus, an annual legume, is the only edible legume among Lathyrus with crude proteinup to 30% (Jackson and Yunus 1984). It has high drought tolerance, and can grow well in barren soil. Thus, this species has a great potential as a crude protein source for livestock in arid and semi-arid area. To introduce this species into a grasslandsystem in Northwest of China, developing a rapid method to determine nutrient composition of various accessions is necessary. This study is aimed at calibrating an NIRS instrument to predict nutritional traits of L. sativus straw and green manure from 50 accessions.