Nutritional Characteristics of Corn Silage Produced in Campania Region Estimated by Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Journal: Agronomy

Manuscript ID: agronomy-2186339

Type of manuscript: Communication

Title: Nutritional characteristics of corn silage produced in Campania region

Authors: Fabio Zicarelli, Fiorella Sarubbi, Piera Iommelli *, Micaela Grossi,

Daria Lotito, Raffaella Tudisco, Federico Infascelli, Nadia Musco, Pietro

Lombardi

 

The authors conducted analyses with a portable NIRS (Near Infrared Spectroscopy) device

the authors confirm the benefits of NIRS use in terms of rapidity, multiplicity of analyses, a small sample size, and reduced cost, and could help the nutritionist formulate an adequate feeding plan. This communication is of interest to the ruminant nutritionist who will be using the methodology to qualify the silage corn. I have some suggestions for the authors to think about, and they may be more easily understood by the reader. Please see the specific comment below:

 

 

Title: Please include keywork of Near Infrared Spectroscopy. It is really important to define it in the title since the objectives have been focused on it.

 

Abstract:

-Please provide the detailed methodology before the result.

-Some important numbers should be added.

-L23-25: Please summarize related to the title.

 

Introduction

-L58: What does the author mean by "thanks to its high yield in dry"?? Please rewrite the interim in an academic style.

-Why were the three areas focused on? Please describes.

-L72-77: Please clarify what the research gap is for this work.

-L78-79: This objective this not clear and does not relate to the objective provide in the abstract. Please modify.

-79-81: A not clear hypothesis. What are the authors' expectations for this work? Please clarify.

 

Materials and Methods

-L84: Please modify to "From July through December of 2020, a total of 175 samples of corn silage were collected."

-L88: Change to "Figure 1:"

-L84-87: Please describes more about how to plant corn. How to harvest it? Etc.

-How to make corn silage? Please describes!

-L120-122: Please provide a citation of methodology.

-L137: Experimental design should be addressed in sub-topic 2.1 as well.

 

Results:

-Please describes Figure 2 in this section.

 

Discussion:

-L180: Please check "quality.. In order"

 

Conclusion:

-This section should focus on the objective/hypothesis as proposed. Please revise.

 

L229: "..qualityIt's really…" change to "quality. It's really.."

Author Response

Rev 1

The authors conducted analyses with a portable NIRS (Near Infrared Spectroscopy) device

 

the authors confirm the benefits of NIRS use in terms of rapidity, multiplicity of analyses, a small sample size, and reduced cost, and could help the nutritionist formulate an adequate feeding plan. This communication is of interest to the ruminant nutritionist who will be using the methodology to qualify the silage corn. I have some suggestions for the authors to think about, and they may be more easily understood by the reader. Please see the specific comment below:

 

 

Title: Please include keywork of Near Infrared Spectroscopy. It is really important to define it in the title since the objectives have been focused on it.

AU: We changed the title as follows: Nutritional characteristics of corn silage produced in Campania Region estimated by Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)

 

Abstract:

 

-Please provide the detailed methodology before the result.

 

-Some important numbers should be added.

 

-L23-25: Please summarize related to the title.

 

 AU: The abstract has been revised, accordingly.

 

Introduction

 

-L58: What does the author mean by "thanks to its high yield in dry"?? Please rewrite the interim in an academic style.

AU: the sentence has been revised (now line 85)

 

-Why were the three areas focused on? Please describes.

AU: the three sample sites were selected in accordance with the local production of corn silage. In the revised version this has been specified.

 

-L72-77: Please clarify what the research gap is for this work.

AU: done (L 99-108)

 

-L78-79: This objective this not clear and does not relate to the objective provide in the abstract. Please modify.

AU: the sentence was deleted

 

-79-81: A not clear hypothesis. What are the authors' expectations for this work? Please clarify.

AU: the hypothesis has been clarified (L 103-108)

 

Materials and Methods

 

-L84: Please modify to "From July through December of 2020, a total of 175 samples of corn silage were collected."

AU: done (L 113)

 

-L88: Change to "Figure 1:"

AU: done. (L 117)

 

-L84-87: Please describes more about how to plant corn. How to harvest it? Etc.

-How to make corn silage? Please describes!

AU: thank you for your comment. In the material and methods section we added a brief paragraph with all the corn cultivation characteristics. (from L 168)

 

-L120-122: Please provide a citation of methodology.

AU: done. (L 209)

 

-L137: Experimental design should be addressed in sub-topic 2.1 as well.

AU: done.

 

 

Results:

 

-Please describes Figure 2 in this section.

AU: done.

 

Discussion:

 

-L180: Please check "quality.. In order"

AU: done.

 

Conclusion:

 

-This section should focus on the objective/hypothesis as proposed. Please revise.

AU: done

 

L229: "..qualityIt's really…" change to "quality. It's really.."

AU: done.

Reviewer 2 Report

The Manuscript ID agronomy-2186339 entitled Nutritional characteristics of corn silage produced in Campania region is an attempt to analyze with a portable NIRS device (Near Infrared 16 Spectroscopy) the differences in corn silage quality in three different production sites of Campania 17 region (Piana del Sele, Vallo di Diano, and Caserta). The submitted paper is interesting, especially in ruminants fields studies. However, the submitted paper contains a lack of material and methods section. Also, the presented results are very poor and the topic related to the nutritional value of corn silage is widely known. Therefore, in the reviewer’s opinion in the current form the submitted manuscript can not publishing and should be rejected.

L. 43-45 add at the end of this sentence “which might affect the increasing share of much more expensive concentrate feeds during balancing diets for ruminants”

L. 70 add the full name of NIRS by the first use

L. 75-78 remove this sentence

L. The aim of this study is different from the abstract (L. 16-17 The objective of this study was to analyze with a portable NIRS device (Near Infrared 16 Spectroscopy) the differences in corn silage quality in three different production sites of Campania 17 region (Piana del Sele, Vallo di Diano, and Caserta) and at the end of the introduction (L. 78-79 The objective of this research was to highlight any shortcomings of 78 one of the major constituents of the ration in a timely manner). Please, improve that

L.79-81 It is no hypothesis. Change it. Also, we know the nutrition value of corn from eg. NRC, DLG, or INRA ruminant’s nutrition recommendation

L. 101-105 Add information about the corn silage characteristics eg. cultivation, fertilization, corn varieties, date of sowing, ripening stage, date of harvest, and how long after ensiling the corn samples were collected – authors should prepare a Table with corn silages characteristic

L. 114 adds more precise information about the PLS method and recommendations/references.

L. 135 The statistical model should include another fixed effect or partial regression coefficients eg., corn varieties, date of sowing, date of harvest, date of sampling

L. 146 The nutritional value of corn silages should be presented in g/kg or % in dry matter. Also, please check whether the results in Table 3 of nutrition value are really presented “as fed”

Author Response

Rev2

The Manuscript ID agronomy-2186339 entitled Nutritional characteristics of corn silage produced in Campania region is an attempt to analyze with a portable NIRS device (Near Infrared  Spectroscopy) the differences in corn silage quality in three different production sites of Campania region (Piana del Sele, Vallo di Diano, and Caserta). The submitted paper is interesting, especially in ruminants fields studies. However, the submitted paper contains a lack of material and methods section. Also, the presented results are very poor and the topic related to the nutritional value of corn silage is widely known. Therefore, in the reviewer’s opinion in the current form the submitted manuscript can not publishing and should be rejected.

L 43-45 add at the end of this sentence “which might affect the increasing share of much more expensive concentrate feeds during balancing diets for ruminants”

AU: done. (now line 51-52)

L 70 add the full name of NIRS by the first use

AU: done.

L 75-78 remove this sentence.

AU: done.

The aim of this study is different from the abstract (L. 16-17 The objective of this study was to analyze with a portable NIRS device (Near Infrared 16 Spectroscopy) the differences in corn silage quality in three different production sites of Campania 17 region (Piana del Sele, Vallo di Diano, and Caserta) and at the end of the introduction (L. 78-79 The objective of this research was to highlight any shortcomings of 78 one of the major constituents of the ration in a timely manner). Please, improve that

AU: the aim has been rewritten in the abstract and in the introduction.

L.79-81 It is no hypothesis. Change it. Also, we know the nutrition value of corn from eg. NRC, DLG, or INRA ruminant’s nutrition recommendation

AU: we modified the sentence. (L 106-109)

L 101-105 Add information about the corn silage characteristics eg. cultivation, fertilization, corn varieties, date of sowing, ripening stage, date of harvest, and how long after ensiling the corn samples were collected – authors should prepare a Table with corn silages characteristic

L 135 The statistical model should include another fixed effect or partial regression coefficients eg., corn varieties, date of sowing, date of harvest, date of sampling

AU: thank you for your comment. In the material and methods section we added a brief paragraph with all the corn cultivation characteristics. Few differences about the corn cultivation were registered among the three experimental areas. Unfortunately, being only interested in the nutritional characteristics of the corn silage in the different production areas, we did not collect all these data, thus, is not possible include other factors in the statistical model.

L 114 adds more precise information about the PLS method and recommendations/references.

AU: we added this information in paragraph 2.3.

L 146 The nutritional value of corn silages should be presented in g/kg or % in dry matter. Also, please check whether the results in Table 3 of nutrition value are really presented “as fed”.

AU: We checked table 3, the nutritional value is expressed in g/kg as fed.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Accept in present form