Impact of sustainable intensification of beef production in tropical areas on climate change mitigation

• Grant number: 17/18750-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2018
• End date: February 28, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Márcia Helena Machado da Rocha Fernandes
• Grantee: Márcia Helena Machado da Rocha Fernandes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Abmael da Silva Cardoso ; Ana Cláudia Ruggieri ; Luis Orlindo Tedeschi ; Ricardo Andrade Reis
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/25390-2 - Forage chemical analysis and performance of Nellore bulls in Marandu Palisadegrass in different levels of pasture intensification, BP.TT

Abstract

Focused on the awareness of climate change, food shortage risks and the concept of sustainable intensification, the main purpose of this project is to measure the environmental and productive impact of process of cattle ranching intensification and to develop a comprehensive set of indicators for ecologically sustainable intensification of beef cattle. We also aimed to measure emissions factors (EFs) for methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) to improve greenhouse gases (GHG) inventories e balance. There are two EFs for N2O, one for fertilizer (EF1) and other for animal excreta (EF3PRP) that are used to being quantified separately. However, in the pastoral system, fertilizer is applied on the excreta therefore; we will measure for the first time these two EFs simultaneously in tropical conditions. The experimental area will consist of 24 ha of Brachiaria brizantha Hochst ex A. Rich Stapf cv. Marandu pasture divided into 12 paddocks of approximately 2 ha each. The Marandu grass pasture was implemented in 2005/2006, with no interference (fertilizations) for at least five years. The experiment will be repeated for two consecutive years. Within each year, the experiment will be divided in two stages: rearing phase (rainy season, from November to March; rainy-dry transition, from April to June), and finishing phase on pasture or in feedlot (dry season, from July to September). The treatments will consist of three cattle ranching intensification (low, intermediate and high) in a completely randomized design with four replicates (paddocks), characterized by stocking rates of approximately 1.5, 3.5 and 5.5 animal unit (AU)/ha; respectively. Pasture evaluation will include herbage mass and forage quality determination. Animal response variables include intake and nutrient digestibility, enteric CH4, N balance, performance, carcass yield, and protein and energy deposition. Environmental impacts to be assessed include N loss through volatilization of NH3 and N2O; CO2 and CH4 from excreta and N fertilization; and CH4 enteric. Finally, GHG balance and carbon footprint will be estimated through the calculation of the emissions of GHG from animals and fertilizer and the emission of fossil CO2 by other activities.

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; DA ROCHA FERNANDES, MARCIA HELENA MACHADO; DALLANTONIA, ERICK ESCOBAR; LIMA, LAIS DE OLIVEIRA; DO VAL, GUILHERME ALVES; CARDOSO, ABMAEL DA SILVA; RIGOBELLO, IZABELA LAROSA; AMERICO CAMPOS, JORGE AUGUSTO; REIS, RICARDO ANDRADE; RUGGIERI, ANA CLAUDIA; et al. Intensive Production and Management of Marandu Palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha `Marandu') Accelerates Leaf Turnover but Does Not Change Herbage Mass. AGRONOMY-BASEL, v. 11, n. 9, SEP 2021. (17/18750-7)

DALLANTONIA, ERICK ESCOBAR; FERNANDES, MARCIA HELENA MACHADO DA ROCHA; CARDOSO, ABMAEL DA SILVA; LEITE, RHAONY GONCALVES; FERRARI, ADRIANA; ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; LAGE, JOSIANE FONSECA; BALSALOBRE, MARCO ANTONIO ALVARES; REIS, RICARDO ANDRADE. Performance and greenhouse gas emission of Nellore and F1 Angus x Nellore yearling bulls in tropical production systems during backgrounding and finishing. LIVESTOCK SCIENCE, v. 251, SEP 2021. (15/16631-5, 17/18750-7, 17/11274-5)

LIMA, LAIS; ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; FERNANDES, MARCIA H.; VYAS, DIWAKAR; MALHEIROS, EUCLIDES. Impact of Intensification on the Ratio between Carbon Emission per Human-Edible Protein Produced of Nellore Young Bulls in Tropical Production Systems.. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, v. 100, p. 1-pg., 2022-09-22. (17/18750-7, 18/26492-0)

FERNANDES, M. H. M. R.; CARDOSO, A. S.; LIMA, L. O.; BERCA, A. S.; REIS, R. A.. Human-edible protein contribution of tropical beef cattle production systems at different levels of intensification. ANIMAL, v. 16, p. 12-pg., 2022-08-01. (17/18750-7, 15/16631-5)

LIMA, LAIS; ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; FERNANDES, MARCIA; CARDOSO, ABMAEL; LAGE, JOSIANE; SILVA, LUIS; REIS, RICARDO; MALHEIROS, EUCLIDES. Response of Pasture Nitrogen Fertilization on Greenhouse Gas Emission and Net Protein Contribution of Nellore Young Bulls. ANIMALS, v. 12, n. 22, p. 18-pg., 2022-11-01. (17/18750-7, 18/26492-0)

FERNANDES, MARCIA H.; FERNANDES, JALME; REIS, RICARDO ANDRADE; TEDESCHI, LUIS O.. Application of Machine Learning Algorithms to Estimate Tropical Pasture Biomass Based on Satellite Images.. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, v. 100, p. 2-pg., 2022-09-22. (15/16631-5, 17/18750-7, 20/14367-7)

ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; FERNANDES, MARCIA HELENA MACHADO DA ROCHA; DALLANTONIA, ERICK ESCOBAR; LIMA, LAIS DE OLIVEIRA; DO VAL, GUILHERME ALVES; CARDOSO, ABMAEL DA SILVA; RIGOBELLO, IZABELA LAROSA; GOMES, LAIS MAYUMI; REIS, RICARDO ANDRADE; RUGGIERI, ANA CLAUDIA; et al. Effect of the Interaction between Excreta Type and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions in Pastures. ATMOSPHERE, v. 14, n. 3, p. 18-pg., 2023-03-01. (17/11274-5, 17/18750-7)

DE QUADROS, FERNANDO LUIZ FERREIRA; ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; MALHEIROS, EUCLIDES BRAGA; LIMA, LAIS DE OLIVEIRA; DALLANTONIA, ERICK ESCOBAR; ROMANZINI, ELIEDER PRATES; VELLUDO, IGOR DE MARTIN; CARDOSO, ABMAEL DA SILVA; DO VAL, GUILHERME ALVES; RIGOBELLO, IZABELA LAROSA; et al. Nitrogen efficiency in marandu palisadegrass pastures under increasing nitrogen levels. Ciência Rural, v. 54, n. 3, p. 6-pg., 2024-01-01. (17/18750-7)

LIMA, LAIS DE OLIVEIRA; ONGARATTO, FERNANDO; DALLANTONIA, ERICK ESCOBAR; LEITE, RHAONY GONCALVES; ARGENTINI, GABRIELLA PATRICIO; FERNANDES, MARCIA HELENA MACHADO DA ROCHA; REIS, RICARDO ANDRADE; VYAS, DIWAKAR; MALHEIROS, EUCLIDES BRAGA. N-fertilization of tropical pastures improves performance but not methane emission of Nellore growing bulls. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, v. 101, p. 8-pg., 2023-01-03. (18/26492-0, 17/18750-7)

FERNANDO LUIZ FERREIRA DE QUADROS; FERNANDO ONGARATTO; EUCLIDES BRAGA MALHEIROS; LAÍS DE OLIVEIRA LIMA; ERICK ESCOBAR DALLANTONIA; ELIÉDER PRATES ROMANZINI; IGOR DE MARTIN VELLUDO; ABMAEL DA SILVA CARDOSO; GUILHERME ALVES DO VAL; IZABELA LAROSA RIGOBELLO; et al. Eficiência do nitrogênio em pastagens de capim-marandu adubadas com doses crescentes de nitrogênio. Ciência Rural, v. 54, n. 3, 2023-09-04. (17/18750-7)