Relationship between Chemical Composition and In Vitro Methane Production of High Andean Grasses

Abstract

The present study aims to establish the relationship between chemical composition and in vitro methane (CH4) production of high Andean grasses. For this purpose, eight species were collected in dry and rainy seasons: Alchemilla pinnata, Distichia muscoides, Carex ecuadorica, Hipochoeris taraxacoides, Mulhenbergia fastigiata, Mulhenbergia peruviana, Stipa brachiphylla and Stipa mucronata. They were chemically analyzed and incubated under an in vitro system. Species such as A. pinnata and H. taraxacoides were characterized by high crude protein (CP. 124 g/kg DM) and low neutral detergent fiber (NDF. 293 g/kg DM) contents in both seasons, contrary to Stipa grasses. This same pattern was obtained for H. taraxacoides, which presented the highest values of gas production, organic matter digestibility (DOM), metabolizable energy (ME) and CH4 production (241 mL/g DM, 59% DOM, 8.4 MJ ME/kg DM and 37.7 mL CH4/g DM, on average). For most species, the content of CP, acid detergent fiber (FDA) and ME was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season, which was the opposite for CH4 production (p ≥ 0.05). In general, the nutritional content that most explained the behavior of CH4 production was the NDF content (R2 = 0.69). Grasses characterized by high NDF content produced less CH4 (R = −0.85).

Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands

“…All these resources had a high content of NDF and ADF. The negative correlation between NDF level and gas production was consistent with other studies [ 31 , 32 ], in which a reduction in gas production with increasing of NDF content of the substrates was reported. In general, the present results were lower than those found in the literature [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Chemical Composition and In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation Characteristics of Native Grasses from the Floodplain Lowlands Ecosystem in the Colombian Orinoquia

“…[61]. The acetic, propionic and butyric acids were between the range observed in tropical grasses [44,61]; similarly, the observed methane and ammonia concentrations [50,62]. These results demonstrate the productive potential of the evaluated pastures, which constitutes them as a valuable forage resource to be considered as a food source for grazing cattle, during the flooding times occurring within the floodable savannah ecosystem in the Colombian Orinoquia.…”

Diet Digestibility and Partitioning of Nutrients in Adult Male Alpacas Fed a Blend of Oat Hay and Alfalfa Pellets at Two Levels of Intake

“…One of the aims of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the feeding level on dietary N utilization. Depending on the plant species, the CP contents of native grasses in the Peruvian Altiplano can decrease up to (or even below) 40 g/kg DM during the dry season [16]. In the study by Huareccallo Maquera [42], the total N intake was calculated to be 11.7 and 13.0 g/d for the 40 and 50 g of DM/kg BW 0.75 feeding levels, respectively (CP of the diet: 92 g/kg DM).…”

“…Despite the reduced nutritional quality of the Peruvian Altiplano rangelands during the dry season [15][16][17], earlier studies have shown that adult alpacas counterbalance this situation by increasing their intake of Festuca dolichophylla/Muhlenbergia fastigiata swards up to 12% when compared to their observed intake during the rainy season [18]. This is explained by the observed increase in the gastric capacity of these animals in response to the reduced forage quality [11].…”