By Alexander Hristov, Ph.D.
New research from Penn State shows that feeding a methane inhibitor has potential as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle.
Microbial fermentation in the rumen of cattle generates methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas and, according to EPA, makes up 25% of the total methane emissions in the United States. Recently, Penn State concluded a 12-week trial, designed to study the effect of a novel methane inhibitor, 3-nitrooxypropanol (provided by DSM Nutritional Products), on rumen methane production, feed intake, milk yield and composition, and body weight gain in mid-lactation dairy cows.
A total of 48 cows were involved in the trial and inhibitor application rates were 0 (control), 40, 60, and 80 mg/kg feed dry matter. Compared with the control, methane production in cows receiving the inhibitor decreased by about 30% and stayed at that low level throughout the trial. The inhibitor had no effect on dry matter intake (on average 61 lbs/day), milk production (100 lbs/day), and feed efficiency (1.65). Milk fat content and yield were not affected by treatment, but the inhibitor increased milk protein yield by about 3%.
Although the average body weight of the cows was not different among treatments, body weight gain during the trial was greater for treated vs. the control cows. On average, cows receiving the inhibitor had about 0.37 lbs/day greater body weight gain than the control cows.
The study showed that methane emissions from ruminant animals can be substantially decreased by the use of a methane inhibitor, without negatively affecting milk production or composition. Part of the feed energy not lost as methane was used by the cows to replenish body weight lost in early lactation. If approved and adopted by industry, this methane inhibitor could have a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector.
Source:psu.edu