Milk production and estimated enteric methane emission from cows grazing ryegrass pastures in small-scale dairy systems
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Milk production and estimated enteric methane emission from cows grazing ryegrass pastures in small-scale dairy systems in Mexico Sirley Carrillo-Hernández 1 & Felipe López-González 1 & Julieta Gertrudis Estrada-Flores 1 & Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán 1 Received: 2 April 2020 / Accepted: 11 September 2020 # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract The work assessed the productive response and estimated enteric methane (CH4) emissions of dairy cows grazing in small-scale dairy systems. Treatments were grazing annual pasture (AP) mainly of annual ryegrass and perennial pasture (PP) mainly of perennial ryegrass, complemented daily with 3.72 kg DM/cow of commercial concentrate. Eight Holstein cows were used in a double cross-over design with three 14-day-each experimental periods for animal variables and CH4 emissions. Pasture variables were analysed with a split-plot design. AP showed higher sward height (P < 0.05) with no differences (P > 0.05) in net herbage accumulation or in herbage chemical composition. Cows on AP yielded 24.6% more milk (P < 0.001) than grazing PP, but there were no differences in milk fat and protein content. There were differences (P ≤ 0.05) among periods for milk yields, but no differences among periods for milk fat and protein. Milk urea nitrogen was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in PP than in AP with no differences among periods. There was higher (P < 0.001) DMI for AP than PP with a significant decline (P < 0.05) as periods progressed. There was a trend (P = 0.08) for higher daily CH4/cow in AP, but significantly lower emissions (7.2%) in AP/kg DMI, and 20.1% lower emission intensity of g CH4/kg milk. The proportion of gross energy lost as CH4 for AP was lower (P < 0.01). Higher milk yields in AP resulted in a 26% higher margin over feed costs than for PP. Results show that grazing annual pastures with moderate concentrate supplementation results in higher milk yields, higher incomes, and reduces the intensity of CH4 emissions. Keywords Methane emissions . Dairy cows . Grazing . Annual pastures . Ryegrass
Introduction Nearly 150 million households around the world produce milk, and in most developing countries, it is in small-scale systems that contribute significantly to ameliorate poverty, improve nutrition and food security of rural families (FAO 2019), as is the case of the highlands of central Mexico where small-scale dairy farming reduces poverty and has an important contribution to national milk production (EspinozaOrtega et al. 2007; Prospero-Bernal et al. 2017).
* Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán [email protected] 1
Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Rurales (ICAR), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Campus UAEM El Cerrillo, El Cerrillo Piedras Blancas, 50090 Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
Although livestock production is a viable option to improve livelihoods and the economy of rural societies, it is also a contributor to climate change, emitting 14.5% of total greenhouse gases (GHGs). Specifically, dairy farming contributes 20% of these emissions,
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