Mitigation of ruminant methane production: current strategies, constraints and future options

Abstract

Mitigating methane losses from cattle has economic as well as environmental benefits. The aim of this paper is to review the current approaches in relation to associated advantages and disadvantages and future options to reduce enteric methane emission from cattle. Current technologies can be broadly grouped into those that increase productivity of the animal (improved nutrition strategies) so that less methane is produced per unit of meat or milk, and those that directly modify the rumen fermentation so that less methane is produced in total. Data suggest that many of these practices are not appropriate for long term mitigation of methane emissions in ruminants because of their constraints. So it is necessity to develop long term strategies in suppressing methane production. An integrated research investigating animal, plant, microbe and nutrient level strategies would offer a long term solution of methane production. Genetic selection of animals, vaccination, probiotics, prebiotics and plant improvement are the most promising options of all the future approaches discussed. These approaches will reduce enteric methane production without any hazard to animal or environment.

Effect of disodium fumarate on microbial abundance, ruminal fermentation and methane emission in goats under different forage : concentrate ratios

“…The ratio of forage to concentrate of a diet can alter the VFA profile and methane production in the rumen (Iqbal et al, 2008). Adjusting the F : C ratios is an effective means to manipulate ruminal fermentation pathways and reduce ruminal methane production due to a shift in ruminal fermentation patterns to propionate (Fahey and Berger, 1988) and a decline in the ruminal pH (VanKessel and Russell, 1996).…”

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Quantifying Methane Emissions from Livestock

“…Methane is said to be explosive when it is present in the air in concentrations between 5-15% (Huang and He, 2008) and has a global warming potential of 21 (IPCC, 1997, Talyan et al, 2007. For the past 300 years atmospheric methane has increased by about 150% (Iqbal et al, 2008) and its atmospheric concentration has nearly tripled since preindustrial times (Houghton et al, 2001). Methane is emitted from various man-made and natural sources.…”

“…The current method in animal husbandry is either to increase the productivity of the animal through improved nutrition in order to produce less methane per unit of meat or milk or to alter the rumen fermentation process so as to reduce the volume of methane produced (Iqbal et al, 2008). Despite all these efforts, 15% of global methane emissions come from enteric fermentation by ruminants (Houghton et al, 2001;Takahashi, 2011) gave methane emission breakdown from enteric fermentation as 12% of global, 19% of anthropogenic and 36% of agricultural while Naqvi and Sejian (2011) reported that 18% of greenhouse gas emission comes from animal husbandry.…”

Mitigating the greenhouse gas balance of ruminant production by identifying plants with high tannin concentration and quantifying the methane emission in vivo

“…Many researches in the last two decades have been focused on the effects of ionophores and antibiotics on ruminal fermentation (RUSSELL, 1987). In other hand, supplement of probiotics into the rumen microorganisms, which increase propionate or butyrate and reduce the protozoa number resulted reduction in methane (IQBAL et al, 2008). But, usage of probiotics in large scale production to mitigate CH4 emissions is very expensive.…”

“…The supplement of probiotics into the rumen microorganisms, which increase propionate or butyrate and reduce the protozoa number resulted reduction in methane emissions (IQBAL et al, 2008), but, its usage in large scale production to mitigate CH4 emissions is very expensive.…”