Determination of methane yield in cattle fed tropical grasses as measured in open-circuit respiration chambers

The objective of this study was to determine methane (CH4) yield by crossbred cattle fed tropical grasses. A total of 66 individual determinations of dry matter intake (DMI) and 42 determinations of organic matter intake (OMI) in relation to the production of enteric CH4 were carried out. Methane measurements in heifers were performed in open-circuit respiration chambers. Heifers (Bos indicus × B. taurus) with an average live weight of 288.5 ± 55.7 kg fed tropical grasses as basal ration were used. An average intake of 8.22 and 7.80 kg of DM and OM per day were recorded. An average enteric CH4 production of 88.0 g/heifer/day was determined. It was found that DMI and OMI in relation to CH4 production have a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.73 and 0.70 respectively, to predict CH4 emissions. It is concluded that the methane yield (18.07 g CH4/kg DM intake) predicted by regressing DM intake against methane production represents a reliable value to be used for the estimation of enteric CH4 inventories for cattle grazing in the tropical regions of Mexico.