Advances in Mitigating Enteric Methane Emissions from Ruminant Livestock

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2175

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Natural Resources Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Interests: ruminant nutrition; feed efficiency; energy metabolism; methane mitigation; mathematical models

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Guest Editor
Mootral Ltd., Abertillery, UK
Interests: ruminant nutrition; rumen microbiome; methane mitigation; life cycle analysis; livestock sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ruminant livestock sector must meet the increased global demand for animal protein while tackling the challenges of reducing its environmental impacts. Enteric methane has been identified as the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in global ruminant production, accounting for approximately 47% of total emissions. As a potent GHG, methane has a global warming potential about 27 times higher than that of CO2. Moreover, enteric methane represents a dietary gross energy loss that, if mitigated, could be redirected for improving animal productivity. These factors emphasize the environmental and economic significance of developing innovative solutions for methane mitigation that can be implemented at the farm level.

This Special Issue aims to explore recent research progress for developing enteric methane mitigation strategies, including selective breeding and genetics, diet reformulation and feed management practices, feed additives, vaccines, and phage treatments. Emphasis will be placed on scalable solutions that can be practically implemented on farms and across different production systems. Moreover, the scope of this Special Issue would cover research that addresses the paucity of reliable methodologies for quantifying and validating the effectiveness of methane mitigation solutions at the farm level. There are concerns regarding the potential trade-offs associated with some methane mitigation strategies, such as changes in animal productivity and feed and nutrient emissions. Thus, this Special Issue will also consider papers that employ system-level methodologies such as life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the holistic impacts and net effects of enteric methane mitigation on the total GHG emissions and emission intensity at the individual farm level or across geographical regions.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome for submission for publication in this Special Issue. The focus areas may encompass a range of innovative interventions for enteric methane mitigation, including in vitro and in vivo experiments, on-farm validation studies, mathematical modelling, and LCA.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Saheed A Salami
Dr. Abdulai Guinguina
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • ruminant production
  • dairy cows
  • beef cattle
  • sheep
  • goat
  • enteric methane
  • rumen fermentation
  • climate change
  • life cycle analysis
  • sustainable livestock

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 348 KiB  
Article
Effect of Cashew Nutshell Extract, Saponins and Tannins Addition on Methane Emissions, Nutrient Digestibility and Feeding Behavior of Beef Steers Receiving a Backgrounding Diet
by Wilmer Cuervo, Camila Gómez, Federico Tarnonsky, Ignacio Fernandez-Marenchino, Araceli Maderal, Federico Podversich, Juan de J. Vargas and Nicolas DiLorenzo
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3126; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213126 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 472
Abstract
The beef industry contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through enteric methane emissions, exacerbating climate change. Anacardic acid in cashew nutshell extract (CNSE), saponins and tannins (ST) are plant secondary metabolites that show promise in methane mitigation via antimicrobial effects, potentially exerting changes in [...] Read more.
The beef industry contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through enteric methane emissions, exacerbating climate change. Anacardic acid in cashew nutshell extract (CNSE), saponins and tannins (ST) are plant secondary metabolites that show promise in methane mitigation via antimicrobial effects, potentially exerting changes in ruminal fermentation patterns. This study examined the impact of CNSE, ST, and their combination on methane emissions, digestibility, intake, and performance of sixteen Angus crossbred steers (347 ± 30 kg) receiving a backgrounding diet (70:30 corn silage: cottonseed burrs). The study used a 4 × 4 Latin square design (4 steers, 4 treatments, 4 periods) with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, including the main effects of additive (CNSE or ST) fed individually or combined. Thus, steers received the following treatments: (1) no additive, (2) CNSE only, (3) ST only, or (4) both (CNSEST). Non-supplemented steers registered eight more feedbunk visits/d than ST-steers and spent an extra 10 min/d on the feedbunk. The addition of ST tended to increase dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber intake. Additives fed individually reduced CP digestibility. Intake of the carrier containing CNSE only was lesser and coincided with a greater methane yield in that treatment. Digestibility and methane mitigation were improved after CNSEST compared with individual inclusion, suggesting synergistic reactions enhanced methane mitigation effects in fibrous diets without affecting the digestibility of nutrients nor animal growth performance. Full article
19 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
Effects of Brown Seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) Supplementation on Enteric Methane Emissions, Metabolic Status and Milk Composition in Peak-Lactating Holstein Cows
by Dušan Bošnjaković, Sreten Nedić, Sveta Arsić, Radiša Prodanović, Ivan Vujanac, Ljubomir Jovanović, Milica Stojković, Ivan B. Jovanović, Ivana Djuricic and Danijela Kirovski
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111520 - 21 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1226
Abstract
The dairy industry contributes significantly to anthropogenic methane emissions, which have an impact on global warming. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a dietary inclusion of brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum on enteric methane emissions (EMEs), hematological and blood biochemical profiles, and [...] Read more.
The dairy industry contributes significantly to anthropogenic methane emissions, which have an impact on global warming. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a dietary inclusion of brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum on enteric methane emissions (EMEs), hematological and blood biochemical profiles, and milk composition in dairy cows. Eighteen Holstein cows were divided into three groups: CON (non-supplemented cows), BS50 (50 mL of 10% A. nodosum), and BS100 (100 mL of 10% A. nodosum). In each cow, measurements of EME, dry matter intake (DMI), and milk yield (MY), as well as blood and milk sampling with respective analyzes, were performed before supplementation (P1), after 15 (P2) days, and after 30 (P3) days of supplementation. A. nodosum reduced (p < 0.05) methane production, methane yield, and methane intensity in both BS50 and BS100, and raised DMI (p < 0.05) only in BS50. Total bilirubin (p < 0.05) was higher in BS50 compared to CON cows in P2, and triacylglycerols were lower (p < 0.05) in BS50 than in CON cows in P3. Higher milk fat content was found in BS50 than in CON cows in P3. C16:0 proportions were higher (p < 0.05) in BS50 and BS100 than in CON cows, while C18:3n-3 was higher (p < 0.05) in BS100 than in BS50 and CON cows in P3. Dietary treatment with A. nodosum reduced EMEs and showed the potential to increase DMI and to improve energy status as well as milk composition in peak-lactating dairy cows. Full article
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