Onfield estimation of quality parameters in alfalfa through hyperspectral spectrometer data

Alfalfa is a forage of vast importance around the world. In the past, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique have been explored in the lab to determine quality traits such as fibre content in dried and ground material. During the last decade, portable hyperspectral devices have emerged as a tools for in-field prediction, of not only crop yield but also a large range of quality and physiological markers. The objective of this study was to estimate quality parameters in an alfalfa crop using hyperspectral data acquired from a full-range (350-2500 nm) spec-trometer under field conditions. Reflected spectra were measured in single leaves as well as at the canopy level, then reflectance was related to target parameters such as biomass, leaf pigments, sugars, protein, and mineral contents. Due to their large effect on crop quality parameters, meteorological conditions and phenological stages were included as predictors in the models. We found that meteorological and phenological variables improved the accuracies and percentage of variance explained (R2) for most of the parameters evaluated. Based on R2 values, the best prediction models were obtained for biomass (0.71), sucrose (0.65), flavonoids (Flav) (0.56) and nitrogen (0.70) with normalized root mean squared errors of 0.196, 0.32, 0.087 and 0.08, respectively. These parameters were associated mainly with visible (VIS) (approx. 350-700 nm) and near infrared (NIR) (700-1250 nm) regions of the spectrum. Regarding mineral composition, the best prediction models were developed for P (0.51), B (0.50) and Zn (0.44), associated with the short-wave infra-red (SWIR) region (1250-2500 nm). The results of this study demonstrated the potential of hyperspectral techniques to be used as a base for performing initial evaluations in the field of quality traits in alfalfa crops.