[Applications of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy technique (NIRS) to grassland ecology research].

The technology of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) have been widely used in many research areas, owing to its rapidness, high efficiency, low cost and no pollution. The present paper mainly illustrates the significance of the applications of NIRS to grassland ecology research, and explains some innovative implications of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy in the determination of a variety of forage nutrients, minerals, and the components of soil, prediction of the composition of for-age mixtures, animal performance, grass resistance of diseases and insect pests and other complex ecological characters, and doing research on biochemical markers, isotope discrimination and so on. By synthesizing these applications properly, it is concluded that NIRS could be used as a holistic tool in grassland ecology research to determine the chemical components, and analyze the complex dynamic character of grassland ecosystem and the total specialty of the system running. According to this paper, the authors also hope to promote the application conditions of NIRS in the grassland ecology research in China, and accelerate the modernization of research measures in this area.