Reducing enteric methane emissions from ruminants fed forage based diets

• Grant number: 18/18400-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: November 01, 2018
• End date: April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Flávio Dutra de Resende
• Grantee: Iorrano Andrade Cidrini
• Supervisor: Karen Beauchemin
• Host Institution: Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Lethbridge Research Centre (LRC), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/00885-6 - Use of tannins in suplements with diferent rates of protein degradation in growing Nellore cattle in the dry season, BP.MS

Abstract

The aim of this study is determine whether the methane producing potential of foragescan be predicted using an in vitro fermentation system. Several studies will be conducted toevaluate the forages using an in vitro fermentation technique to assess rumen degradability offiber and methane production. Study 1 will examine the effects of starch and fiber compositionon corn silage degradability and methane production, Study 2 will examine cereal forages, Study3 will focus on grasses and legumes, while Study 4 will explore tannin-containing legumes. Itwill be determined whether variation in methane production can be predicted from chemicalcomposition and rumen fermentation, and how these relationships compare to empiricalprediction equations published. In addition, whether tannin-containing and starch-containingforages lower methane production will be determined. Briefly, the batch culture in vitrotechnique, use 0.5 g of ground forage is weighed into filter bags, bags are sealed and incubated inserum bottles with medium and rumen fluid for 24 and 48 h. Total gas production in the headspace is measured at regular intervals and gas is sampled to measure methane concentration.Disappearance of dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber is determined at 24 and48 h. Precision and accuracy of the equations will evaluated using the concordance correlationcoefficient (rc), root mean square prediction error (RMSPE), model efficiency and analysis oferrors. Equations will rank using a combined index of the various statistical assessments based onprincipal component analysis.