Ruminal Digestibility and In-Vitro Methane Emissions of Native Plant Species in Subtropical Rangelands

Sanchez, J. M. D.; Vendramini, J. M. B.; Silveira, Maria L.; Kohmann, Marta M.; Silva, Hiran M.S.; Moriel, Philipe; Henry, Darren D; Ciriaco, Francine M

doi:10.1016/j.rama.2022.02.002

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Lack of fire effect of saw palmetto CP concentrations was likely due the relatively high CP concentrations relative to creeping bluestem and wiregrass. This response was also consistent with results that were observed by Sanchez et al (2022) . Since only saw palmetto leaflets were evaluated in the current study, it is also plausible that the effect of fire on other plant parts was masked ( Pitman, 1993 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Greater NDF concentration observed in saw palmetto was due to greater lignin concentration, which is expected to reduce fiber and overall forage digestibility ( Van Soest, 1994 ). Saw palmetto NDF and ADF concentrations observed herein are similar to those previously reported in other studies in Florida ( Kalmbacher, 1983 ; Pitman 1993 ; Sanchez et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Differences in anatomy, morphology, and physiology affect chemical composition and digestibility of native forage species with subsequent impacts on livestock performance ( Sollenberger et al, 2020 ). Moreover, differences in the quality of diets consumed by beef cattle can also have significant effect on enteric methane production and ecosystem greenhouse gas balance ( Sanchez et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prescribed fire is an important management tool to enhance and maintain rangeland ecosystem function ( Archibald, 2008 and Thapa et al, 2022 ). Fire can also affect vegetation composition and nutritive value of native rangeland plant species ( McIntosh et al (2022) ; Raynor et al 2021 ; Sanchez et al, 2022 ). Although several studies investigated the effects of prescribed fire on the nutritive value of rangelands ( Archibald, 2008 ), limited information exists for predominant plant species in subtropical native rangeland ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although several studies investigated the impacts of pasture management on methanogenic potential of many forage species ( Congio et al, 2021 ; Sanchez et al, 2022 ), there is limited information on fire management and its interactions with plant species in subtropical rangeland ecosystems. Therefore, the current study was designed to evaluate the effects prescribed fire on the nutritional value and methanogenic potential of selected Florida rangeland plant species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Fire management effects on ruminal digestibility and in vitro methane emissions of subtropical rangeland plant species

Cardoso

Silveira

Vendramini

et al. 2023

Translational Animal Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Prescribed fire is a common management practice used to manipulate rangeland plant productivity and composition. Although the nutritive value of most herbaceous plant species is considered poor for grazing animals, native rangelands in Florida are an important source of forage for livestock, especially during the winter months, when the productivity of cultivated perennial warm-season pastures is limited. This study evaluated the effects of prescribed fire on methanogenic potential and nutritive value of selected native rangeland plant species. Treatments were a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of plant species (creeping bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium var. stoloniferum {Nash} Wipff], wiregrass [Aristida stricta {Michx.}], or saw palmetto [Serenoa repens {W. Bartram} Small]) and prescribed fire management [2 years after burning (control) vs. 1 year after burning (burned)] distributed in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent undigestible fiber (NDF), in-vitro methane production, and in-situ ruminal disappearance. Prescribed fire generally increased forage CP and DM effective degradability relative to control; however, no effect was observed on saw palmetto. Wiregrass had the least CP concentration in both burned (8.5%) and control (2.3%). In burned treatments, creeping bluestem and palmetto had greater DM effective degradability (62 and 58%) than wiregrass (53%). Fire increased in-vitro gas production by 60 (creeping bluestem) to 90% (wiregrass) relative to control treatments. No effect of fire on methane production was observed for any of the plant species evaluated in this study. Creeping bluestem had the greatest methane production (12.5 mg/g DM), followed by wiregrass (5.3 mg/g DM) and saw palmetto (1.4 mg/g DM). Methane:DM effective degradability decreased in the following order: creeping bluestem ≥ wiregrass > saw palmetto. Data indicated prescribed fire was an effective tool to increase creeping bluestem and wiregrass nutritive value but no effect was observed on saw palmetto. Cattle grazing grass-dominated rangelands will likely emit more gas and methane than shrub or tree-dominated ecosystems; however, the greater forage nutritive value and subsequent positive impacts on animal production are expected to offset a substantial fraction of enteric methane emissions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%