Relevance of sward structure and forage nutrient contents in explaining methane emissions from grazing beef cattle and sheep

Cunha, L.L.; Bremm, Carolina; Savian, Jean Víctor; Zubieta, Ángel Sánchez; Rossetto, J.; Carvalho, Paulo César de Faccio

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161695

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…If we consider the importance of sward structure affecting HDMI on Campos grasslands [19,33,34], and the fact that HDMI is positively associated with SFE (Table 2), we could state that, in these quadratic response cases, sward structure, for example, herbage biomass, plays a key role in determining high SFE, as opposed to forage quality or supplement intake. Should this be the case, this would be in agreement with Cunha et al [35], who claim that forage nutrient content of several forage bases-from sown pastures to native grasslands-explains only a small fraction of HDMI, ADG and CH 4 emissions. When analysing the Weibull response models (20% in our trials), the occurrence of frosts seems to be the most important explanatory variable for this response type.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Beef Cattle Grazing Native Grasslands May Follow Three Different Supplement Response Patterns

Cazzuli,

Durante,

Hirigoyen

et al. 2023

Grasses

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Previous studies on winter supplementation of growing cattle grazing stockpiled native Campos grasslands suggest that forage allowance (FA), herbage mass, and weather conditions before and during the supplementation period could all affect supplement feed efficiency (SFE)—that is, the difference or change in average daily gain (ADG) between supplemented (S) and control (C) animals (ADGchng, kg) per unit (kg) of supplement dry matter (DM) intake. In this study, we analyse data from fifteen collated winter supplementation trials carried out in Uruguay between 2004 and 2018. The working hypotheses of this research paper were: (i) that average substitution rates are positive, and (ii) that ADGchng is not constant throughout the supplementation period and that its variation may be attributed to sward, animal or weather variables. There were two main objectives: (i) to estimate the average supplement substitution rate (sSbR, kg forage, f, dry matter, DM intake reduction: kg supplement DM intake) and potential herbage intake substitution rate (hSbR, kg fDM intake reduction: kg fDM intake of control animals), and its association with SFE, and, (ii) to assess the existence of different phases and supplementation response patterns and its association with other relevant variables. Estimated substitution rates were always positive (sSbR = 0.3–1.1 kg/kg; hSbR = 0.1–0.3 kg/kg) and were negatively and moderately associated with SFE. Supplementation proved to be a dynamic process where three possible supplementation responses over the supplementation period were identified (linear, quadratic and Weibull). While linear patterns did not appear distinctly associated with any particular set of variables, quadratic models were mostly associated with herbage biomass and substitution rates, whereas Weibull models were the clearest in their association with frosts. Regardless of the response pattern, at the beginning of the trials it was the animals’ body weight and supplement quality that most influenced supplement response, whereas towards the end, supplementation intake, supplemented animals’ ADG and forage quality played a more relevant role. The estimated parameters and response patterns are expected to be used as inputs in decision support systems for livestock farmers in the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Beef Cattle Grazing Native Grasslands May Follow Three Different Supplement Response Patterns

Cazzuli,

Durante,

Hirigoyen

et al. 2023

Grasses

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“…Thus, biomes suitable for cattle ranching, such as the Pampa [18,30,[58][59][60][61], the Pantanal [62] and the Cerrado [63][64][65][66], could -if used appropriately [67,68], [43,69] -meet the current needs of the Pantanal) -, meeting current market demand without increasing the areas they occupy today [58,59,67], conserving biodiversity by maintaining pastures [28,58,59,70,71], and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock [47,64,[72][73][74]. One of the important factors in realizing this potential, as will be seen in the next section, is valuing native species and their diversity.…”

Section: Moderate Intensification and Low Opportunity Costmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fact that the vast area of native grassland on the planet's surface provides ecosystem services for which the presence of large animals is decisive is something that has already been established in the best recent scientific literature [69,101,102]. But can these services exist (and within the framework of viable socio-economic activities) in forest ecosystems or in those where the introduction of pastures was based on large-scale biological destruction?…”

Section: Soils Plants Animals and People: The Foundations Of Regenera...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regenerative Cattle Farming in Latin America and the Caribbean, Far beyond the Oxymoron

Abramovay,

Matte,

Sanseverino

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Latin America and the Caribbean offer the most favorable natural and social conditions for the emergence of cattle ranching that regenerate and maintains the ecosystem services on which life on Earth depends, that is energy efficient and that contributes to meeting fundamental human food needs. Unlike other major global producers, cattle farming in Latin America and the Caribbean is fundamentally based on pasture. Therein lies both its strength (due to the regenerative potential of well-managed pastures) and its vulnerability (due to the pervasive link between deforestation and pasture formation, especially in the Amazon, where 40% of the Brazilian herd is concentrated). The diversification of pastures (today marked by impressive monotony, with brachiaria accounting for 85% of the species in Brazil), the introduction of legumes and tree plantations within them, and the proper management of herds, open the way to the possibility of drastically reducing the area currently occupied by the activity (especially in the Amazon) while maintaining the supply of its products. Agricultural research has disseminated forms of moderate intensification of cattle ranching, which represent a low opportunity cost of animal feed and, at the same time, regeneration of ecosystem services that have so far been destroyed by the prevailing methods of farming.

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“…While nutritional value is one of the most important traits of herbage, the newest research proves that it is not the only criterion that could be studied for the potential to mitigate methane emissions. Recently, da Cunha et al [ 27 ] proved that sward structure and its interactions with the nutrient content of forage have better explanatory power in predicting DMI, average daily gain (ADG), and CH 4 emissions than nutrient content alone. Apart from the nutritional approach described above, well-managed grazing systems could indirectly mitigate emissions through extensive carbon sequestration [ 3 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Enteric Methane Emission Mitigation Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Ruminant Enteric Methane Mitigation Strategies: Current Findings, Potential Risks and Applicability

Lileikis,

Nainienė,

Bliznikas

et al. 2023

Animals

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This review examines the current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of different dietary ruminant enteric methane mitigation strategies and their modes of action together with the issues discussed regarding the potential harms/risks and applicability of such strategies. By investigating these strategies, we can enhance our understanding of the mechanisms by which they influence methane production and identify promising approaches for sustainable mitigation of methane emissions. Out of all nutritional strategies, the use of 3-nitrooxypropanol, red seaweed, tannins, saponins, essential oils, nitrates, and sulfates demonstrates the potential to reduce emissions and receives a lot of attention from the scientific community. The use of certain additives as pure compounds is challenging under certain conditions, such as pasture-based systems, so the potential use of forages with sufficient amounts of plant secondary metabolites is also explored. Additionally, improved forage quality (maturity and nutrient composition) might help to further reduce emissions. Red seaweed, although proven to be very effective in reducing emissions, raises some questions regarding the volatility of the main active compound, bromoform, and challenges regarding the cultivation of the seaweed. Other relatively new methods of mitigation, such as the use of cyanogenic glycosides, are also discussed in this article. Together with nitrates, cyanogenic glycosides pose serious risks to animal health, but research has proven their efficacy and safety when control measures are taken. Furthermore, the risks of nitrate use can be minimized by using probiotics. Some of the discussed strategies, namely monensin or halogenated hydrocarbons (as pure compounds), demonstrate efficacy but are unlikely to be implemented widely because of legal restrictions.

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Relevance of sward structure and forage nutrient contents in explaining methane emissions from grazing beef cattle and sheep

Cited by 8 publications

References 77 publications

Beef Cattle Grazing Native Grasslands May Follow Three Different Supplement Response Patterns

Beef Cattle Grazing Native Grasslands May Follow Three Different Supplement Response Patterns

Regenerative Cattle Farming in Latin America and the Caribbean, Far beyond the Oxymoron

Dietary Ruminant Enteric Methane Mitigation Strategies: Current Findings, Potential Risks and Applicability

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