In vitro ruminal fermentation of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) produced less methane than that of alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare fenugreek (FG) with alfalfa (Alf) in ruminal fermentation and methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) production <i>in vitro</i>.Methods: Whole-plant FG harvested at 11- and 15-wk and Alf harvested at early and mid-bloom maturities, alone or as 50:50 mixture of FG and Alf at the respective maturity, were assessed in a series of 48-h <i>in vitro</i> batch culture incubations. Total fermentation gas and methane gas production, dry matter (DM) disappearance, volatile fatty acids, microbial protein and 16S RNA gene copy numbers of total bacteria and methanogens were determined.Results: Compared to early bloom Alf, FG harvested at 11-wk exhibited higher (p<0.05) <i>in vitro</i> DM and neutral detergent fibre disappearance, but this difference was not observed between the mid-bloom Alf and 15-wk FG. Regardless plant maturity, <i>in vitro</i> ruminal fermentation of FG produced less (p<0.001) CH<sub>4</sub> either on DM incubated or on DM disappeared basis than that of Alf during 48-h incubation. <i>In vitro</i> ruminal fermentation of FG yielded similar amount of total volatile fatty acids with higher (p<0.05) propionate percentage as compared to fermentation of Alf irrespective of plant maturity. Microbial protein synthesis was greater (p<0.001) with 11-wk FG than early bloom Alf as substrate and 16S RNA gene copies of total bacteria was higher (p<0.01) with 15-wk FG than mid-bloom Alf as substrate. Compared to mid-bloom Alf, 15-wk FG had lower (p<0.05 to 0.001) amount of 16S RNA methanogen gene copies in the whole culture during 48-h incubation.Conclusion: In comparison to Alf, FG emerges as a high quality forage that can not only improve rumen fermentation <i>in vitro</i>, but can also remarkably mitigate CH<sub>4</sub> emissions likely due to being rich in saponins.

Productivity, biochemical composition and nutritional value of trigonella foenum-graecum green mass depending on seeding rates

“…The collection of metabolic energy, feed units and digestible protein was established by calculation according to the chemical composition of the feed, taking into account its digestibility according to the Guidelines for assessing the quality and nutritional value of feed (Central Scientific Research Institute of Agrochemical Services for Agriculture, 2002). The experimental data were subjected to statistical processing by the method of analysis of variance [11].…”

“…According to H. Niu et al (2021), feed from Trigonella foenum-graecum has a comparable nutritional value to early flowering alfalfa and has a positive effect on rumen condition, digestibility and weight gain in cattle. In addition, Trigonella foenum-graecum does not cause bloating in beef cattle.…”

“…In addition, Trigonella foenum-graecum does not cause bloating in beef cattle. Researchers report high efficiency of rumen fermentation resulting in reduced methane production in cattle fed Trigonella foenum-graecu [11]. This observation suggests that fenugreek feed for cattle may be environmentally beneficial by reducing rumen methane production.…”