Abstract Background: Nutritional quality of forages is a strategy of continuous research in animal feeding to help mitigate the environmental impact generated by Tropical livestock. The aim of this study is to describe and classify the nutritional profile of the M maximus collection in Dry Tropics as a contribution to the selection of high-quality grassland for sustainable livestock production. The selection criteria were based in the potential of materials to mitigate climate change effects and to support plant breeding processes. For this, the nutritional composition of 129 CIAT accessions of Megathyrsus maximus was evaluated in representative cultivation conditions of Colombian Dry Tropical Forest by means of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) technique, Crude Protein (CP), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), and in vitro Dry Matter Digestibility (IVDMD) was determined with rainy and dry seasons as fixed effects. Results: genotype and precipitation affect the nutritional value. However, there is relative nutritional steadiness in the NDF, ADF, and IVDMD among seasons for some accessions. According to the nutritional composition index (ICN), half of the evaluated collection had nutritional potential. From this group, 15 accessions showed higher values during rainy and dry seasons. Conclusions: M. maximus has an adequate nutritional profile for animal feeding in dry tropics agroecosystems. It generates alternative materials to project and sustain eco-efficient livestock production in the tropics.