Methane from ruminant livestock

monica

Current position
The most effective way found so far to lower methane emissions from animal production is to identify management practices that avoid production inefficiencies. Avoiding keeping animals that produce little to long periods – such as beef cattle with low growth-rates – and increasing general rates of production efficiencies in other are some practices that help. Enormous efforts are being made across the world to find methods that are effective, safe and sustainable. Nutrition has played an important role here. High grain diets cause ruminants to produce less methane per unit of intake, however the carbon footprint of producing grain needs to be taken into account in assessing any overall benefit to greenhouse gas emissions. 日粮营养对减少甲烷排放很重要，特别是高谷物日粮。但是综合各种因素考虑后，生产谷物所产生的二氧化碳也不能不考虑。Consideration also needs to be given to the important role of grasslands in carbon sequestration, which can offset part of the damaging effect of methane emissions. Animal genetics is also likely to play a role, as recent research suggests some animals produce less methane than others – possibly because they have different microbes in their rumens.不同动物品种，甲烷排放也不同，这可能与瘤胃微生物差异有关。 A vaccine against archea (microorganisms which form methane) holds promise, but the science is a long way off from being used on farms. 注射古细菌（产甲烷细菌）疫苗有希望减少甲烷，但实际应用效果还有待确定。There is also interest in developing feed additives that will inhibit methane production.
Recent research has generally been based on two approaches. the most common is empirical, where plant materials and industrial co-products have been screened for their effects on reducing methane production. Materials such as garlic oil, cashew shell oil and other essential oils have been found to be effective in reducing methane production. General acceptance of any of these has yet to be achieved, however.An alternative approach is to combine genetics with drugs. Some genomes of ruminal methanogens (methane-producing microorganisms) have been sequenced and key genes from those genomes are being identified. This may enable the design of specific inhibitors.
The problem is that too little is known about the microorganisms that form methane in the rumen of livestock, particularly with the types of diets used in the UK. It is usually assumed that these archea will be the same as found in New Zealand, Australia or North America. Projects are now under way to describe the archaeal communities in UK cattle and sheep. The next stage of research will be to understand whether archaeal communities of differing composition produce different quantities of methane.目前有2种方法减少甲烷排放，一个是，大蒜油、腰果壳油等其他精油对此有效；另外一个就是基因破解与药物并用。一些瘤胃产甲烷细菌的基因组已获得，关键基因已确定。这为设计特定的抑制产甲烷细菌创造了可能。但问题是，我们对产甲烷细菌了解太少，而且日粮不同也会影响到瘤胃细菌组成。
It is difficult to predict the outcome of all these areas of research but the challenge of mitigating methane emissions from ruminants remains a key one for the livestock research community.
From： BSAS

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