Fast and precise analytical tools can contribute to optimize pasture management decisions. This work was carried out to evaluate the potential of one such technique, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), to predict the nutritional value of pastures without previous drying of the samples, comparing two forms of collecting the spectra: reflectance, or interactance-reflectance (fiber optic probe). Samples (n = 107) from different swards were taken across the humid and temperate regions (Los Ríos and Los Lagos) of southern Chile. Once their spectra were collected, dry matter (DM) and several chemical constituents, such as crude protein (CP), metabolizable energy (ME), neutral (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF), soluble carbohydrates (SC), soluble crude protein... |