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Potential of tannin‐rich plants, Leucaena leucocephala, Glyricidia sepium and Manihot esculenta, to reduce enteric methane emissions in sheep
Author(s) -
Archimède H.,
Rira M.,
Barde D. J.,
Labirin F.,
MarieMagdeleine C.,
Calif B.,
Periacarpin F.,
Fleury J.,
Rochette² Y.,
Morgavi D. P.,
Doreau M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.12423
Subject(s) - leucaena leucocephala , latin square , rumen , gliricidia sepium , zoology , condensed tannin , organic matter , leucaena , chemistry , hay , tannin , ruminant , dry matter , agronomy , proanthocyanidin , fermentation , botany , biology , food science , crop , biochemistry , polyphenol , organic chemistry , antioxidant
Summary An in vivo trial was conducted in sheep to investigate the effect of three tropical tannin‐rich plants ( TRP ) on methane emission, intake and digestibility. The TRP used were leaves of Glyricidia sepium , Leucaena leucocephala and Manihot esculenta that contained, respectively, 39, 75 and 92 g condensed tannins/kg DM . Methane was determined with the sulphur hexafluoride tracer technique. Eight rumen‐cannulated sheep of two breeds (four Texel, four Blackbelly) were used in two 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Four experimental diets were tested. They consisted in a tropical natural grassland hay based on Dichanthium spp . fed alone (C) or in association with G. sepium (G), L. leucocephala (L) or M. esculenta (M) given as pellets at 44% of the daily ration. Daily organic matter intake was higher in TRP diets (686, 984, 1054 and 1186 g/day for C, G, L and M respectively; p < 0.05) while apparent organic matter total tract digestibility was not affected (69.9%, 62.8%, 65.3% and 64.7% for C, G, L and M respectively; p > 0.05). Methane emission was 47.1, 44.9, 33.3 and 33.5 g/kg digestible organic matter intake for C, G, L and M, respectively, and was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for L and M than for G and C. Our results confirm the potential of some TRP to reduce methane production. The strong decrease in methane and the increase in intake with TRP s may be due to their presentation as pellets.