284 Genetic Selection Through Ecofeed Index Reduces Carbon Footprint in Heifers

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 145-145
Author(s):  
Ermias Kebreab ◽  
Jocelyn R R Johnson ◽  
Claas Heuer ◽  
Joseph Deeb
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Methane Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Progeny Testing ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Evaluation Of Performance

Abstract Efficient feed conversion by ruminants has a direct impact on the animal’s carbon footprint. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of using the EcoFeed® index by STgenetics® to reduce methane production. The EcoFeed® index is an integrated approach to genetic selection based on progeny testing of females for residual feed intake to identify animals who consume less feed while maintaining production compared to their herd mates to increase profitability and global sustainability. EcoFeed® is moderately heritable and uncorrelated with traits currently selected for in dairy cows. A dataset containing phenotypic and genomic information on 5,441 heifers was used for the analysis. Heifers were divided into low, medium and high EcoFeed® classes based on ±0.5 SD from the mean. To estimate methane emissions, 17 mathematical models were collated from the literature. All models were subjected to evaluation of performance using an independent dataset containing 458 individual-animal methane production measurements. The model recommended by Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change had the lowest root mean square prediction error with 1% mean bias and 3.37% slope bias. This model was used to calculate emissions from low and high EcoFeed® heifers. In addition, an average of all model results was computed and used to compare different classes of heifers. Based on dietary information and feed intake, low and high EcoFeed® heifers were estimated to produce 194 and 164 g methane/d, respectively, using the selected model. Using model averages, the estimated methane production was 186 and 162 g methane/d, for low and high EcoFeed® heifers, respectively. The reduction in emission between low and high EcoFeed® classes was 12.6 to 15.4%. If savings from crop production were to be considered, there will be further reductions in the carbon footprint. Therefore, genomic selection is a powerful tool to reduce carbon footprint in ruminants.

Identifying the main crops and key factors determining the carbon footprint of crop production in China, 2001–2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 105661
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Chen ◽  
Changcheng Ma ◽  
Huimei Zhou ◽  
You Liu ◽  
Xiaoman Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Key Factors

Daily methane emissions and emission intensity of grazing beef cattle genetically divergent for residual feed intake

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 627 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Velazco ◽  
R. M. Herd ◽  
D. J. Cottle ◽  
R. S. Hegarty
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Emission Intensity ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Residual Feed Intake ◽  
Conversion Ratio ◽  
Feed Conversion Ratio ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Feed Conversion

As daily methane production (DMP; g CH4/day) is strongly correlated with dry matter intake (DMI), the breeding of cattle that require less feed to achieve a desired rate of average daily gain (ADG) by selection for a low residual feed intake (RFI) can be expected to reduce DMP and also emission intensity (EI; g CH4/kg ADG). An experiment was conducted to compare DMP and EI of Angus cattle genetically divergent for RFI and 400-day weight (400dWT). In a 6-week grazing study, 64 yearling-age cattle (30 steers, 34 heifers) were grazed on temperate pastures, with heifers and steers grazing separate paddocks. Liveweight (LW) was monitored weekly and DMP of individual cattle was measured by a GreenFeed emission monitoring unit in each paddock. Thirty-nine of the possible 64 animals had emission data recorded for 15 or more days, and only data for these animals were analysed. For these cattle, regression against their mid-parent estimated breeding value (EBV) for post-weaning RFI (RFI-EBV) showed that a lower RFI-EBV was associated with higher LW at the start of experiment. Predicted dry matter intake (pDMI), predicted DMP (pDMP) and measured DMP (mDMP) were all negatively correlated with RFI-EBV (P < 0.05), whereas ADG, EI, predicted CH4 yield (pMY; g CH4/kg DMI) were not correlated with RFI-EBV (P > 0.1). Daily CH4 production was positively correlated with animal LW and ADG (P < 0.05). The associations between ADG and its dependent traits EI and pMY and predicted feed conversion ratio (kg pDMI/kg ADG) were strongly negative (r = –0.82, –0.57 and –0.85, P < 0.001) implying that faster daily growth by cattle was accompanied by lower EI, MY and feed conversion ratio. These results show that cattle genetically divergent for RFI do not necessarily differ in ADG, EI or pMY on pasture and that, if heavier, cattle with lower RFI-EBV can actually have higher DMP while grazing moderate quality pastures.

Insulin secretion, body composition and pig performance are altered by feeding pattern

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Newman ◽  
Jeffery A. Downing ◽  
Peter C. Thomson ◽  
Cherie L. Collins ◽  
David J. Henman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Plasma Insulin ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Growing Pigs ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Entire Male

Three studies investigated the effect of feeding strategy on production performance and endocrine status of growing pigs. For Experiment 1, 20 entire male pigs (70.0 ± 4.6 kg) were allocated randomly to individual pens in one of four climate-controlled rooms. Pigs were fed for 23 days either ad libitum or entrained to feed bi-phasically for two 90-min periods. For Experiment 2, 20 entire male pigs (41.2 ± 3.5 kg) were housed as per Experiment 1. Pigs were fed for 49 days either ad libitum or fed bi-phasically for two 60-min periods. For Experiment 3, 100 female pigs (66.1 ± 3.5 kg) were randomly allocated to individual pens within a commercial piggery and fed for 42 days either ad libitum or bi-phasically for two 60-min periods. Ear vein catheters were inserted into 10 pigs from each group and hourly blood samples were collected for 24 h in Experiments 1 and 2 and for 11 h in Experiment 3. Plasma insulin, non-esterified fatty acid and glucose concentrations were determined in Experiments 1 and 2, and glucose and insulin concentrations in Experiment 3. Feed intake and performance were recorded in all experiments and carcass composition was assessed by computed tomography for Experiment 2. There were no differences in final liveweight between the two treatment groups for all experiments. Pigs fed for two 90-min periods (Experiment 1) showed no difference in feed intake when compared with feeding ad libitum. Pigs in Experiment 2 fed for two 60-min intervals consumed 2.49 kg/pig.day compared with those fed ad libitum that consumed 2.68 kg/day (P = 0.057). In Experiment 3, pigs fed twice daily consumed 2.82 kg/pig.day compared with 2.91 kg/pig.day in ad libitum-fed pigs (P = 0.051). Bi-phasic fed pigs in Experiment 2 had improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion efficiency compared with pigs fed ad libitum. For all experiments, there was no difference in plasma glucose concentrations between the two treatments. In all three experiments, the circulating insulin concentrations for pigs fed ad libitum remained at a constant level throughout the sampling period. However, plasma insulin concentrations for the bi-phasic fed pigs significantly increased ~1 h after both feeding periods during all three experiments. Insulin secretion of pigs fed for two 90-min periods differed from that of pigs fed for two 60-min periods. Plasma insulin concentration increased five-fold following feeding for 60 min, compared with that in pigs fed for 90 min, which increased two-fold. Bi-phasic-fed pigs from Experiment 2 had reduced (P < 0.05) total carcass fat and significantly increased muscle when compared with pigs fed ad libitum. The data showed that feeding pigs at two succinct periods aligned insulin secretion to the time of feeding. Pigs fed for 60 min, unlike those fed for 90-min intervals, had reduced feed intake in comparison to those fed ad libitum. This may suggest that the duration of the feeding bout is important for this response and this may in turn influence both energy balance and the way energy is partitioned.

Effects of wet feeding and enzyme supplementation on nutritional value of wheat screenings for broiler chickens

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1906
Author(s):  
Ghorbanali Sadeghi ◽  
Ahmad Karimi ◽  
Soosan Mohammadi ◽  
Asaad Vaziry ◽  
Mahmood Habibian
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Bodyweight Gain ◽  
Broiler Chicks ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Crypt Depth ◽  
Enzyme Supplementation ◽  
Digesta Viscosity

The effects of wet feeding and a multi-enzyme preparation on the nutritional value of wheat screenings (WS) for broiler chicks were investigated. In total, 540 1-day-old Ross-308 broiler chicks were fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet up to 29 days of age. At that time, the birds were randomly assigned to nine diets in a completely randomised design with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, including three levels of WS (0%, 25% and 50%, WS0, WS25 and WS50 respectively) and three processing methods (no processing, enzyme supplementation and wet feeding). The enzyme mixture contained endo-1, 4-β-xylanase (200 FXU/g), endo-1, 4-β-glucanase (50 FBG/g), endo-1, 8-β-glucanase (21 FBG/g), hemicellulase (3000 VHCU/g), α-galactosidase (3 GALU/g) and protease (260 U/g) and was supplemented at a level of 6 g/kg of diet. The inclusion of water in wet diets was in the extent of 1.2 kg/kg of diet. During the period from 29 to 49 days of age, feed intake was not affected (P > 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet, whereas chicks fed the WS25 diet had a higher (P < 0.05) bodyweight gain than did those on WS0 diet. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved (P < 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet throughout the study. The feed intake was increased (P < 0.05) by enzyme supplementation to WS50 diet, while bodyweight gain was increased (P < 0.05) by wet feeding. Enzyme supplementation did not affect (P > 0.05) FCR, whereas wet feeding resulted in lower (P < 0.05) FCR over the entire study. The plasma concentration of glucose was increased (P < 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in the diet. The viscosity of the ileal digesta was higher (P < 0.05) in chicks receiving the WS50 diet than that in chicks receiving the other diets. The jejunal villus height was increased (P < 0.05) and the jejunal crypt depth was decreased (P < 0.05) by the inclusion of WS in diet. The jejunal crypt depth was greater (P < 0.05) in chicks receiving the wet diets than in chicks receiving the enzyme-supplemented diets (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the results from the present study indicated that broiler growth performance was improved by the inclusion of WS in the diet and also by wet feeding. These effects were largely compatible with the changes that occurred in the small intestine morphology, but not with those observed for ileal digesta viscosity.

Genetic parameters and breed differences for feed efficiency, growth, and body composition traits of young beef bulls

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. S. Schenkel ◽  
S. P. Miller ◽  
J. W. Wilton
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Residual Feed Intake ◽  
Backfat Thickness ◽  
Daily Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Beef Bulls

Genetic associations between feed efficiency, growth, and live ultrasound measured body composition traits were studied in purebred beef bulls of six breeds in Ontario bull test stations from 1991 to 2000. Feed traits included average daily feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and residual feed intake [feed intake adjusted for production alone (RFIp) or production and backfat thickness (RFIb)]. Growth traits were average daily weight gain (ADG), mid-test metabolic weight (MW), hip height (HH), and scrotal circumference (SC). Body composition traits included ultrasound backfat thickness (BF), longissimus muscle area (LMA), and predicted percentage of intramuscular fat (IFAT). Bulls were measured every 28 d for weight and individual feed intake, and at the end of test for ultrasound body composition traits. Number of records per trait ranged from 2284 (FI) to 13 319 (ADG). Fixed effects of test group, breed and end of test age (within breed), and random effects of animal and herd of origin were modeled using REML bivariate analyses for all traits. Heritability estimates were moderate for all traits (0.30 to 0.55), except for IFAT (0.14). The genetic correlation between RFIp and RFIb was high (0.99) within breeds, but breeds ranked differently with respect to RFIp and RFIb. Genetic correlations of RFIb with ADG and backfat thickness were essentially zero, which indicate that selection on residual feed intake could be implemented to reduce feed intake and improve feed conversion without compromising growth or changing levels of subcutaneous fat. Key words: Central test, genetic correlation, heritability, residual feed intake

Growth performance and nutrient digestibility of Wistar albino rats fed processed dehulled jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis)

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-111
Author(s):  
O. A. Abu ◽  
O. H. Amusa ◽  
R. O. Atoyebi ◽  
R. A. Kehinde ◽  
F. C. Nworgu
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Nutrient Digestibility ◽  
Albino Rats ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Body Weight Changes ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Jack Bean

A total of fifty 3-4 weeks old albino rats of the Wistar strain weighing 50-60g were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized block design to investigate the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of the rats fed diets containing processed dehulled jack bean. Five diets were formulated to contain casein (T1)-control diet, dehulled jack bean soaked in filtrate obtained from raw pap(T2), dehulled jack bean soaked in lye solution (T3), dehulled jack bean boiled for 15minutes (T4) while a protein free diet served as a negative control (T5). The experiment lasted for 28-days.Dehulled jack bean significantly (P>0.05) influenced the growth parameters measured for the Wistar rats. Rats on control diets had the highest value for all the growth indices, feed intake (210.90g), final body weight (103.40g), body weight changes (41.90g), feed conversion ratio (5.10) and protein efficiency ratio (1.41). Rats on T2 (soaked in ‘ogi’ liquor) had feed intake value of (147.40g), followed by rats on T4 (boiled for 15minutes) (117.00g), T5 (negative control) (119.07) and T3 (soaked in lye solution) (79.40g) respectively. Rats on T4 had the highest value for final body weight (67.80g), body weight changes (6.30g), feed conversion ratio (12.27) and protein efficiency ratio (0.25) while rats on T3 had the lowest value for final body weight (67.80g), body weight changes (-32.45g), total feed intake (79.40g) with FCR of (-0.96) for the tested diets. Wistar rats placed on lye treated diet had depressed body weight changes of 59.8% compared to the control. Digestibility studies however showed that rats on control diets had the highest digestibility value of DM and other nutrients, while there was no significant (P<0.05) difference in digestibility value of CF, significant (P>0.05) differences existed in DM, digestibility value of CP, EE and Ash. Rats on T3 and T5 had the lowest digestibility value for Ash (11.48) and CP (37.66). Rats fed dehulled jack bean seed soaked in ogi liquor and boiled for 15minutes showed slight improvement in growth performance and nutrient utilization over those fed lye soaked jack bean. All the processing methods were ineffective when compared to the performance of rat fed casein based diets.

Effects of lasalocid and protein levels on feed intake and growth rate of Awassi lambs

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 ◽  
pp. 187-187
Author(s):  
M. M. Muwalla ◽  
M. Y. Harb ◽  
T. F. Crosby
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Growth Promoter ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Feedlot Lambs ◽  
Lamb Growth ◽  
Awassi Lambs

Lasalocid is a polyether antibiotic derived from the fermentation of streptomyces lasaliensis used as a coccidiostat in sheep. There are varying literature reports on lamb growth rate and feed intake when lasalocid is included in the diet of feedlot lambs. While some reports have shown that lasalocid enhances feed efficiency in ruminants by decreasing feed intake and either maintaining or improving rate of gain others indicate that lasalocid did not have any effect on lamb growth rates or feed efficiency (Stobart et al., 1987). Also, when lasalocid was fed to Chios lambs, growth rate was increased but there was no improvement in feed conversion efficiency (Hadjipanayiotou et al., 1988). There are no published data in the literature relating to the use of lasalocid as a growth promoter in the Awassi breed of sheep fed complete diets and the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lasalocid with two levels of protein on the growth rate and feed efficiency of weaned male and female Awassi lambs.

CURRENT STATE AND PROSPECTS OF CARBON FARMING DEVELOPMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Radik Safin ◽  
Ayrat Valiev ◽  
Valeriya Kolesar
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
The Republic

Global climatic changes have a negative impact on the development of all sectors of the economy, including agriculture. However, the very production of agricultural products is one of the most important sources of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. Taking into account the need to reduce the “carbon footprint” in food production, a special place is occupied by the analysis of the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of measures for their sequestration in agriculture. One of the main directions for reducing emissions and immobilizing greenhouse gases is the development of special techniques for their sequestration in the soil, including those used in agriculture. Adaptation of existing farming systems for this task will significantly reduce the “carbon footprint” from agricultural production, including animal husbandry. The development of carbon farming allows not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to significantly increase the level of soil fertility, primarily by increasing the content of organic matter in them. As a result, it becomes possible, along with the production of crop production, to produce “carbon units” that are sold on local and international markets. The paper analyzes possible greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and the potential for their sequestration in agricultural soils. The role of various elements of the farming system in solving the problem of reducing the “carbon footprint” is considered and ways of developing carbon farming in the Republic of Tatarstan are proposed

scholarly journals Metabolizable energy levels for semi-heavy laying hens at the second production cycle

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 857-862
Author(s):  
Fernando Guilherme Perazzo Costa ◽  
Janaine Sena da Costa ◽  
Cláudia de Castro Goulart ◽  
Denise Fontana Figueiredo-Lima ◽  
Raul da Cunha Lima Neto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Level ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Feed Conversion

This study was carried out to evaluate the energy levels in the diet to obtain better performance rates and quality of eggs from laying hens in the second production cycle. One hundred and eighty Bovans Goldline laying hens with 62 weeks of age were used during four 28-day periods. A completely randomized experimental design was used with four metabolizable energy levels (2,650, 2,725, 2,800, 2,875 and 2,950 kcal/kg), each with six replicates of six birds. The energy level of diet did not affect the weight of the egg, yolk, albumen and eggshell, the percentages of yolk, albumen and eggshell, yolk color and egg specific gravity. Feed intake, egg production, egg mass and feed conversion per egg mass and per dozen eggs increased significantly with increasing levels of metabolizable energy. Feed intake decreased linearly as the energy level in the diet increased. The metabolizable energy levels showed a quadratic effect on egg production, egg mass and feed conversion per egg mass and per dozen eggs. The metabolizable energy level of 2,830 kcal/kg was the most appropriate to promote better performance and quality of eggs from laying hens in the second production cycle.

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