Predicted methane production from Italian ryegrass pastures with contrasting chemical composition under sheep grazing in Northern Norway

Background The Norwegian sheep farming system relies on forages, such as grass silage during winter and grazing cultivated leys and rangeland pastures during summer. Sheep and other ruminants produce enteric methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas of interest, and there is a need for reliable data on gas em...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:JSFA reports 2024-08, Vol.4 (8), p.316-322
Main Authors: Lardy, Q., Ramin, M., Hetta, M., Jørgensen, G. H. M., Lind, V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural Science
grazing
in vitro
Jordbruksvetenskap
Lolium multiflorum
modeling
Norway
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background The Norwegian sheep farming system relies on forages, such as grass silage during winter and grazing cultivated leys and rangeland pastures during summer. Sheep and other ruminants produce enteric methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas of interest, and there is a need for reliable data on gas emissions from sheep capturing both the indoor feeding period and the grazing season. This study utilized an in vitro gas technique (with standard cow rumen fluid) and modeling approach to estimate CH4 production and fermentation patterns based on two different qualities of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) pasture under sheep grazing. Results Herbage quality was examined for two 10‐day periods, in July and August. Differences in chemical composition of the herbage during these periods had an impact on herbage digestibility and CH4 production. Total gas production and CH4 levels were significantly higher for lower quality herbage grazed in July than for higher quality herbage grazed in August (p 
ISSN:2573-5098
2573-5098
DOI:10.1002/jsf2.213