Cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats in India emit an estimated 9.25–14.2 million tonnes of methane yearly – a considerable proportion of the roughly 90 million tonnes of methane emitted by livestock worldwide. This is a trigger for severe concern, on condition that methane is a really potent greenhouse fuel.
Keeping this in thoughts, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institute has developed an anti-methanogenic feed complement referred to as ‘Harit Dhara’. When given to cows and sheep, it not solely cuts their methane emissions by 17-20 %, but in addition will increase milk manufacturing and physique weight.
“An average lactating cow or buffalo in India emits about 200 liters of methane per day, while it is 85-95 liters for young growing calves and 20-25 liters for adult sheep. These can be reduced to a fifth by feeding a green stream. For a cow producing 200 liters (143 g) of methane, this translates into 0.714 kg less CO2 equivalent emissions per day, or 261 kg per year (1 liter methane = 0.714 g; 1 kg methane = 25 kg CO2) ,” Dr Raghavendra Bhatta, director of ICAR’s National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIANP) in Bengaluru, advised The Indian Express.
Methane is produced by animals with a rumen within the first of their 4 stomachs, the place they eat plant materials – cellulose, fiber, starch and sugars – that are fermented or damaged down by microorganisms earlier than additional digestion and nutrient absorption. Carbohydrate fermentation produces CO2 and hydrogen. These are used as substrates by archaea – microbes within the rumen with a construction just like micro organism – to supply methane, which the animals then expel by means of burping.
The inexperienced stream is accountable for hydrogen manufacturing by decreasing the inhabitants of protozoan microbes within the rumen and making it accessible to archaea for discount of CO to methane. Tropical vegetation containing tannins – bitter and astringent chemical compounds – are recognized to suppress or take away protozoa from the rumen.
“Our product is formulated using plant-based sources containing condensed and hydrolyzable tannins available in abundance in the country. The green stream costs around Rs 6 per kg and is to be fed only to animals above three months of age, which are fully functioning. Our recommended daily dosage is 500 grams for adult cattle and buffaloes, 150 grams for growing cows and 50 grams for adult sheep,” Bhatta mentioned.
However, decreasing enteric methane emissions will not be a adequate financial justification for farmers to feed the inexperienced stream. Anti-methanogenic feed supplementation of NIANP additionally alters the composition of the risky fatty acids which are the top merchandise of rumen fermentation (with hydrogen and CO).
“Fermentation continues as earlier than, however the ratio of acetic and butyric acids now produces a better quantity of propionic acid. Since propionic acid supplies a number of vitality for lactose (milk sugar) manufacturing and physique weight achieve, Feeding the inexperienced stream additionally has financial advantages. The lack of organic vitality from methane emissions could be reused and utilized by the animal for milk manufacturing and growth,” defined Bhatta.
According to him, feeding 500 grams of inexperienced stream to lactating cattle and buffaloes will enhance milk manufacturing by 300-400 ml/animal/day. Similarly, the additional weight will enhance from 150 g to 20-25 g/day for a rising bovine and from 50 g to about 7 g/day for an grownup sheep. 30 per liter of milk, the profit-cost ratio for a dairy farmer is 3:1.
“We have done field verification and filed a patent for green stream. Compound animal feed manufacturers may incorporate it in their products in place of wheat or non-oiled rice bran. Then farmers will not have to feed their animals with green stream separately,” mentioned Bhatta.
India’s cattle inhabitants stood at 193.46 million within the 2019 Livestock Census with 109.85 million buffaloes, 148.88 million goats and 74.26 million sheep. Due largely to agricultural residues – wheat/paddy straw and maize, sorghum or millet consumed stover – ruminants in India produce 50-100% extra methane than their industrialized nation counterparts, who want extra Easily fermentable/digestible focus, silage and inexperienced fodder are offered. .
.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
