Genetic variation in digestibility of forage maize (Zea mays L.) and its estimation by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). An analysis

Summary Genetic variation is a major source of differences in digestibility of forage maize. Other sources are environmental conditions, location effects, and cultural practice. These factors initiate differences in cell-wall content and cell-wall digestibility. In vitro techniques with rumen microflora account efficiently for such differences. Cell-wall content can be determined easily and can also be predicted properly by Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS). However, no currently available chemical and physical laboratory techniques are able to discriminate between digestible and indigestible cell-wall fractions. Present NIRS functions do not predict cell-wall digestibility properly in maize. If further research on NIRS functioning overcomes this barrier, NIRS can become a useful breeding tool for digestibility in forage maize.