Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Miles City, Montana » Livestock and Range Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #153733
Title: A MECHANISTIC APPROACH TO THE ESTIMATION OF INTAKE OF RUMINANTS BY METHANE EXCRETION AND IN VITRO FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS

Author
item BLUMMEL, M - PAST ARS POST DOC
item Grings, Elaine
item MOSS, A - ADAS NUT SCI RES UNIT
item GIVENS, D - ADAS NUT SCI RES UNIT

Submitted to: Research Update for Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2002
Publication Date: 1/15/2003
Citation: BLUMMEL, M., GRINGS, E.E., MOSS, A.R., GIVENS, D.I. A MECHANISTIC APPROACH TO THE ESTIMATION OF INTAKE OF RUMINANTS BY METHANE EXCRETION AND IN VITRO FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS. RESEARCH UPDATE FOR FORT KEOGH LIVESTOCK AND RANGE RESEARCH LABORATORY. p. 86-87. 2003.

Interpretive Summary: Reliable estimation of feed intake of grazing animals is necessary for many management decisions, but can be difficult to obtain. Ruminal methane excretion could conceptually serve as a means to validate various estimates of intake if additional information about rumen stoichiometrical relationships can be provided. Information on short chain fatty acids proportions and on the efficiency of microbial production is required for these calculations. The objective of this work was to examine how well intake of roughages can be predicted from measurements of methan excretion in vivo and from short chain fatty acids and microbial efficiency measurements in vitro and to test if precise short chain fatty acids and microbial efficiency measurements are required or if they can be replaced by applying assumed constant relationships, without unacceptable loss of accuracy. Methane measurements in vivo in combination with measurements of in vitro fermentation characteristics such as short chain fatty acid proportions and efficiencies of microbial production provide a promising check for intake estimates based on marker techniques. This approach has also considerable potential for studying carbon efficiencies in grazing ruminants.

Technical Abstract: Reliable estimation of feed intake of grazing animals is necessary for many management decisions, but can be difficult to obtain. Ruminal methane excretion could conceptually serve as a means to validate various estimates of intake if additional information about rumen stoichiometrical relationships can be provided. Information on short chain fatty acids proportions and on the efficiency of microbial production is required for these calculations. The objective of this work was to examine how well intake of roughages can be predicted from measurements of methan excretion in vivo and from short chain fatty acids and microbial efficiency measurements in vitro and to test if precise short chain fatty acids and microbial efficiency measurements are required or if they can be replaced by applying assumed constant relationships, without unacceptable loss of accuracy. Methane measurements in vivo in combination with measurements of in vitro fermentation characteristics such as short chain fatty acid proportions and efficiencies of microbial production provide a promising check for intake estimates based on marker techniques. This approach has also considerable potential for studying carbon efficiencies in grazing ruminants.