Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production
Genetic selection for residual feed intake (RFI) is an indirect approach for reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions in beef and dairy cattle. RFI is moderately heritable (0.26 to 0.43), moderately repeatable across diets (0.33 to 0.67) and independent of body size and production, and when adjusted...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Animal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731113000888 |
| _version_ | 1819151116984647680 |
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| author | J.A. Basarab K.A. Beauchemin V.S. Baron K.H. Ominski L.L. Guan S.P. Miller J.J. Crowley |
| author_facet | J.A. Basarab K.A. Beauchemin V.S. Baron K.H. Ominski L.L. Guan S.P. Miller J.J. Crowley |
| author_sort | J.A. Basarab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Genetic selection for residual feed intake (RFI) is an indirect approach for reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions in beef and dairy cattle. RFI is moderately heritable (0.26 to 0.43), moderately repeatable across diets (0.33 to 0.67) and independent of body size and production, and when adjusted for off-test ultrasound backfat thickness (RFIfat) is also independent of body fatness in growing animals. It is highly dependent on accurate measurement of individual animal feed intake. Within-animal repeatability of feed intake is moderate (0.29 to 0.49) with distinctive diurnal patterns associated with cattle type, diet and genotype, necessitating the recording of feed intake for at least 35 days. In addition, direct measurement of enteric CH4 production will likely be more variable and expensive than measuring feed intake and if conducted should be expressed as CH4 production (g/animal per day) adjusted for body size, growth, body composition and dry matter intake (DMI) or as residual CH4 production. A further disadvantage of a direct CH4 phenotype is that the relationships of enteric CH4 production on other economically important traits are largely unknown. Selection for low RFIfat (efficient, −RFIfat) will result in cattle that consume less dry matter (DMI) and have an improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with high RFIfat cattle (inefficient; +RFIfat). Few antagonistic effects have been reported for the relationships of RFIfat on carcass and meat quality, fertility, cow lifetime productivity and adaptability to stress or extensive grazing conditions. Low RFIfat cattle also produce 15% to 25% less enteric CH4 than +RFIfat cattle, since DMI is positively related to enteric methane (CH4) production. In addition, lower DMI and feeding duration and frequency, and a different rumen bacterial profile that improves rumen fermentation in −RFIfat cattle may favor a 1% to 2% improvement in dry matter and CP digestibility compared with +RFIfat cattle. Rate of genetic change using this approach is expected to improve feed efficiency and reduce enteric CH4 emissions from cattle by 0.75% to 1.0% per year at equal levels of body size, growth and body fatness compared with cattle not selected for RFIfat. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T14:28:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8fc7d8543504ea58588cf60cb87fab3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1751-7311 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T14:28:17Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8fc7d8543504ea58588cf60cb87fab32022-12-21T18:22:49ZengElsevierAnimal1751-73112013-01-017303315Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane productionJ.A. Basarab0K.A. Beauchemin1V.S. Baron2K.H. Ominski3L.L. Guan4S.P. Miller5J.J. Crowley6Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB, Canada T4L 1W1Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1J 4B1Lacombe Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB, Canada T4L 1W1Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2P5Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2P5Genetic selection for residual feed intake (RFI) is an indirect approach for reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions in beef and dairy cattle. RFI is moderately heritable (0.26 to 0.43), moderately repeatable across diets (0.33 to 0.67) and independent of body size and production, and when adjusted for off-test ultrasound backfat thickness (RFIfat) is also independent of body fatness in growing animals. It is highly dependent on accurate measurement of individual animal feed intake. Within-animal repeatability of feed intake is moderate (0.29 to 0.49) with distinctive diurnal patterns associated with cattle type, diet and genotype, necessitating the recording of feed intake for at least 35 days. In addition, direct measurement of enteric CH4 production will likely be more variable and expensive than measuring feed intake and if conducted should be expressed as CH4 production (g/animal per day) adjusted for body size, growth, body composition and dry matter intake (DMI) or as residual CH4 production. A further disadvantage of a direct CH4 phenotype is that the relationships of enteric CH4 production on other economically important traits are largely unknown. Selection for low RFIfat (efficient, −RFIfat) will result in cattle that consume less dry matter (DMI) and have an improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with high RFIfat cattle (inefficient; +RFIfat). Few antagonistic effects have been reported for the relationships of RFIfat on carcass and meat quality, fertility, cow lifetime productivity and adaptability to stress or extensive grazing conditions. Low RFIfat cattle also produce 15% to 25% less enteric CH4 than +RFIfat cattle, since DMI is positively related to enteric methane (CH4) production. In addition, lower DMI and feeding duration and frequency, and a different rumen bacterial profile that improves rumen fermentation in −RFIfat cattle may favor a 1% to 2% improvement in dry matter and CP digestibility compared with +RFIfat cattle. Rate of genetic change using this approach is expected to improve feed efficiency and reduce enteric CH4 emissions from cattle by 0.75% to 1.0% per year at equal levels of body size, growth and body fatness compared with cattle not selected for RFIfat.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731113000888cattlegenetic selectionmethaneresidual feed intake |
| spellingShingle | J.A. Basarab K.A. Beauchemin V.S. Baron K.H. Ominski L.L. Guan S.P. Miller J.J. Crowley Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production Animal cattle genetic selection methane residual feed intake |
| title | Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| title_full | Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| title_fullStr | Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| title_short | Reducing GHG emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency: effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| title_sort | reducing ghg emissions through genetic improvement for feed efficiency effects on economically important traits and enteric methane production |
| topic | cattle genetic selection methane residual feed intake |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731113000888 |
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