Dairy farms in developing countries are key to fighting hunger and poverty. However, their environmental and economic impact in the tropical region of Peru has been scarcely studied. The CLEANED tool, developed by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, allows us to assess the productive situation and the environmental and economic impact of different dairy systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn experiment was carried out to assess the effect of the incorporation of sun-dried foliage of into rations based on hay of on intake, rumen fermentation, kinetics of passage, microbial nitrogen supply to the small intestine, apparent digestibility in Pelibuey hair sheep. Four rations were randomly allotted to four rumen-cannulated lambs (BW = 37.4 ± 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn-farm methane (CH) emissions need to be estimated accurately so that the mitigation effect of recommended practices can be accounted for. In the present study prediction equations for enteric CH have been developed in lieu of expensive animal measurement approaches. Our objectives were to: (1) compile a dataset from individual beef cattle data for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region; (2) determine main predictors of CH emission variables; (3) develop and cross-validate prediction models according to dietary forage content (DFC); and (4) compare the predictive ability of these newly-developed models with extant equations reported in literature, including those currently used for CH inventories in LAC countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the effects of orange essential oil (OEO) on the rumen fermentation, nutrient utilization, and methane (CH) emissions of beef heifers fed a diet of bermudagrass () were examined. In addition, and experiments were conducted. The experiment consisted of three treatments: control (CTL, no OEO), OEO1 (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to meet consumer needs, the livestock industry is increasingly seeking natural feed additives with the ability to improve the efficiency of nutrient utilization, alternatives to antibiotics, and mitigate methane emissions in ruminants. Chitosan (CHI) is a polysaccharide with antimicrobial capability against protozoa and Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, fungi, and yeasts while naringin (NA) is a flavonoid with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. First, an in vitro gas production experiment was performed adding 0, 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rumen microbiome plays a fundamental role in all ruminant species, it is involved in health, nutrient utilization, detoxification, and methane emissions. Methane is a greenhouse gas which is eructated in large volumes by ruminants grazing extensive grasslands in the tropical regions of the world. Enteric methane is the largest contributor to the emissions of greenhouse gases originating from animal agriculture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Anim Health Prod
September 2020
The aim of the study was to assess the effect of four energy supplements (two highly fermentable; two starch-based carbohydrates) on blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary urea excretion, and milk yield, in dual-purpose cows fed foliage of Leucaena leucocephala (Leucaena). Five Holstein-Zebu cows with 450 kg body weight in their second third of lactation were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Cows were fed (dry basis) a mixture of 45% Leucaena and 55% Pennisetum purpureum grass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
February 2020
The effects of dietary inclusion of dried leaves (DLL) on nutrient digestibility, fermentation parameters, microbial rumen population, and production of enteric methane (CH) in crossbred heifers were evaluated. Four heifers were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design consisting of four periods and four levels of inclusion of DLL: 0%, 12%, 24%, and 36% of dry matter (DM) intake. Results showed that DM intake (DMI), organic matter intake, and gross energy intake (GEI) were similar ( > 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper aims to describe the construction and operation of a respiration chamber of the head-box type for methane (CH) measurements in bovines. The system consists of (1) a head box with a stainless steel frame and acrylic walls, floor, and ceiling; (2) a stainless steel feeder; (3) an automatic drinking water bowl; (4) a hood made from reinforced canvas; (5) an infrared (IR) CH gas analyzer, a mass flow generator, a data-acquisition system; and (6) a steel metabolic box. Six assays were conducted to determine the pure CH recovery rate of the whole system in order to validate it and comply with standards of chamber operation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLivestock production is a main source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG). The main gases are CH with a global warming potential (GWP) 25 times and nitrous oxide (NO) with a GWP 298 times, that of carbon dioxide (CO) arising from enteric fermentation or from manure management, respectively. In fact, CH is the second most important GHG emitted globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnim Sci J
September 2019
Yield, chemical composition, fatty acid profile, and sensory acceptability of Panela cheese produced from cows grazing in an intensive silvopastoral system (ISS) with Leucaena leucocephala and Cynodon nlemfuensis were evaluated and compared with Panela cheese from cows grazing a monoculture system (MS) of C. nlemfuensis only. The experiment lasted for 9 weeks in a tropical area in Mexico using ten crossbred cows (30-90 days of milking) assigned homogenously as five cows in each experimental group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anim Sci
April 2019
In the last decades, strategies have been evaluated to reduce rumen methane (CH4) production by supplementing tropical forages rich in secondary compounds; however, most of these beneficial effects need to be validated in terms of their persistence over time. The aim of this study was to assess CH4 emissions over time in heifers fed with and without Gliricidia sepium foliage (G) mixed with ground pods of Enterolobium cyclocarpum(E). Two groups of 4 crossbred (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) heifers (284 ±17 kg initial weight) were fed with 2 diets (0% and 15% of a mixture of the pods and foliage [E + G:0 and E + G:15, respectively]) over 80 d, plus 2 wk before the experiment, in which every animal was fed a legume and pod-free diet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsian-Australas J Anim Sci
November 2018
Objective: The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of increasing amounts of Leucaena leucocephala forage on dry matter intake (DMI), organic matter intake (OMI), enteric methane production, rumen fermentation pattern and protozoa population in cattle fed Pennisetum purpureum and housed in respiration chambers.
Methods: Five crossbred heifers (Bos taurus×Bos indicus) (BW: 295±6 kg) were fed chopped P. purpureum grass and increasing levels of L.
The effect of Leucaena leucocephala inclusion in sheep diets upon rumen function was evaluated. Nine Pelibuey sheep, 32.6 ± 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of graded levels of Enterolobium cyclocarpum pods in the ration on feed intake and digestibility by Pelibuey lambs. Five dietary treatments were imposed where ground pods replaced concentrate diet at 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50 % of dry matter (DM), respectively. The concentrate portion was composed of ground sorghum, soybean meal, cane molasses and minerals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the present work was to evaluate milk yield, postpartum (pp) ovarian activity and pregnancy rate in dual-purpose cows grazing Cynodon nlemfuensis and browsing L. leucocephala, with or without energy supplementation. Twenty-four Bos taurus × B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to assess the energetic efficiency of milk synthesis by grazing dual-purpose cows with or without a starch-based supplement in tropical South Mexico. Forty-six Holstein × Zebu cows were used in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Factors analysed were diet (supplemented, unsupplemented), age (young: 1-2 calvings, mature: >3 calvings) and day of lactation (21 and 84 days post-calving).
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