Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral

The Australian red meat industry has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. Reaching this goal will be a challenge and will involve targeting ways to increase carbon in the landscape, improve efficiency of production and reduce methane emissions from ruminants. There are a number of different opti...

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Main Authors: Philip E. Vercoe, Amriana Hifizah, Joy Vadhanabhuti, Graeme B. Martin, Zoey Durmic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Proceedings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3900/36/1/175
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author Philip E. Vercoe
Amriana Hifizah
Joy Vadhanabhuti
Graeme B. Martin
Zoey Durmic
author_facet Philip E. Vercoe
Amriana Hifizah
Joy Vadhanabhuti
Graeme B. Martin
Zoey Durmic
author_sort Philip E. Vercoe
collection DOAJ
description The Australian red meat industry has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. Reaching this goal will be a challenge and will involve targeting ways to increase carbon in the landscape, improve efficiency of production and reduce methane emissions from ruminants. There are a number of different options the industry can pursue to try and achieve its goal, including changing grazing management practices and land-use to changing the animal, what it eats and the microbial ecology in their rumen. No single one of these options will enable the red meat industry to become carbon neutral by 2030, it will take a combination of all of them to help meet the challenge. We have been using an <i>in vitro</i> batch fermentation system and a Rusitec system as a quick, relatively inexpensive, way to screen; plants that already exist in our grazing systems, novel plants, plant extracts and organic waste products from the horticultural industry, for their potential to improve the efficiency of fermentation and reduce methane production in the rumen. We have also used these systems to provide an initial clue about the mechanism of action at the level of the ruminal microorganisms. We have identified variation in these traits amongst the plants, plant extracts and horticultural waste products we have tested that could help develop systems that reduce the environmental footprint of ruminants in tropical production systems in Australia and in other parts of the world.
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spelling doaj.art-53980a43c0164841a7ed0e00263310632024-10-03T03:28:35ZengMDPI AGProceedings2504-39002020-04-0136117510.3390/proceedings2019036175Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C NeutralPhilip E. Vercoe0Amriana Hifizah1Joy Vadhanabhuti2Graeme B. Martin3Zoey Durmic4School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, AustraliaThe Australian red meat industry has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. Reaching this goal will be a challenge and will involve targeting ways to increase carbon in the landscape, improve efficiency of production and reduce methane emissions from ruminants. There are a number of different options the industry can pursue to try and achieve its goal, including changing grazing management practices and land-use to changing the animal, what it eats and the microbial ecology in their rumen. No single one of these options will enable the red meat industry to become carbon neutral by 2030, it will take a combination of all of them to help meet the challenge. We have been using an <i>in vitro</i> batch fermentation system and a Rusitec system as a quick, relatively inexpensive, way to screen; plants that already exist in our grazing systems, novel plants, plant extracts and organic waste products from the horticultural industry, for their potential to improve the efficiency of fermentation and reduce methane production in the rumen. We have also used these systems to provide an initial clue about the mechanism of action at the level of the ruminal microorganisms. We have identified variation in these traits amongst the plants, plant extracts and horticultural waste products we have tested that could help develop systems that reduce the environmental footprint of ruminants in tropical production systems in Australia and in other parts of the world.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3900/36/1/175methane reductionruminants<em>in vitro</em>wastecarbon neutraltropical
spellingShingle Philip E. Vercoe
Amriana Hifizah
Joy Vadhanabhuti
Graeme B. Martin
Zoey Durmic
Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
Proceedings
methane reduction
ruminants
<em>in vitro</em>
waste
carbon neutral
tropical
title Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
title_full Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
title_fullStr Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
title_full_unstemmed Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
title_short Identifying Plants that Reduce Methane Production Using an In Vitro System—Helping the Challenge to Become C Neutral
title_sort identifying plants that reduce methane production using an in vitro system helping the challenge to become c neutral
topic methane reduction
ruminants
<em>in vitro</em>
waste
carbon neutral
tropical
url https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3900/36/1/175
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