Methane Production Ruminants

Mayank Tandon, Himanshu Pandey and Vir Singh. 2005. Methane Production, Global Warming and Ozone Layer Depletion: A Challenge for Eco-friendly Livestock Farming. International Conference on Environment and Development: Challenges and Opportunities. 4-6 March, 2005. New Delhi. Pp: 36.

METHANE PRODUCTION, GLOBAL WARMING AND OZONE LAYER DEPLETION: A Challenge for Eco-friendly Livestock Farming. Mayank Tandon1, Himanshu Pandey2 and Vir Singh3 Abstract Methane is second major gas after carbon dioxide responsible for the warming of environment. Eructation by ruminants and methane released from termites, paddy fields, and natural wetlands are the largest sources of biogenic methane. Methane emission by the ruminants is near about 80-100x1012g/ year. Methane is produced during microbial fermentation of feed, especially carbohydrates, in the rumen (anaerobic methanogenesis). This is associated with a loss of 5-14% of the animal feed energy and, moreover, nowadays this is getting attention because of its global warming and ozone depletion effect. It contributes to 16-18% of the total green house gases in the atmosphere, but the reason of its assuming greater importance is that it has 20 times greater warming potential than carbon dioxide on a gram per gram basis. Production of methane is correlated with feed quality, digestibility, type and size, weight of animal and its production. Methane is a result of hydrogen sink in the rumen eco-system. Alternate hydrogen sinks are propionic acid, unsaturated fatty acids, sulphate and nitrate reduction and reductive acetogenesis which are commonly used, and have potential for using them towards environment-friendly livestock farming with low methane emission. _____________________ 1 PG student, Dept of Animal Nutrition, CVASc., GBPUA&T, Pantnagar 2 JRF & 3 Professor, CBSH, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar Email: [email protected]; [email protected]