ICAR creates feed supplements that reduce emissions and increase milk production.
Out of the 90 million tonnes of livestock methane, India’s belching cattle, buffaloes, and sheep emit 9.25 to 14.2 million tonnes (mt/year) of methane. There is reason to be concerned about methane’s potential for global warming – 25x that of CO2 over 100 years, making him a more potent greenhouse gas.
There are also some ways to mitigate this problem. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has created an anti-methanogenic feed additive called ‘Harit Dhara’. It is given to sheep and bovines to reduce methane emissions by 17-20%. This is a win-win situation for the environment as well as livestock farmers.
An Indian lactating buffalo or cow emits 200 litres per day. Young growing heifers can produce 85-95 litres and adult sheep, 20-25 litres. These can be reduced by feeding Harit Dhara. It is possible to reduce the CO2 equivalent of a cow that produces 200 litres (143 g methane) per day or 261 kilograms per year by feeding Harit Dhara.
Animals with rumen produce methane. This is the first stomach where they consume plant material – cellulose fibre, starch, and sugars. After further digestion and absorption, the microorganisms ferment or break down the plant material. Carbohydrate fermentation results in the production of hydrogen and CO2. These carbohydrates are used by archaea, microbes found in the rumen with a structure similar to bacteria, to produce methane, then expelled through burping.
Harit Dhara reduces the number of protozoa microbes living in the rumen. This is responsible for hydrogen production. It then makes it available to archaea to be reduced to methane. Tannins, bitter and astringent chemical compound compounds found in tropical plants, can suppress or eliminate protozoa from the Rumen.
Our product is made from condensed and hydrolysable plant-based tannin-rich sources, abundantly available in the country. Harit Dhara is approximately Rs 6/kg. It should only be given to animals over three months old with a functioning rumen. Bhatta stated that 500g is the recommended daily intake for adult cattle and buffaloes, 150g for growing bovines, and 50g for adult sheep.
However, lowering enteric methane emissions might not be enough economic justification to allow farmers to feed Harit Dhara. NIANP’s antimethanogenic feed supplement changes the composition and changes the number of volatile fatty acids, which are end-products from rumen fermentation (alongside hydrogen and CO2).
“Fermentation is continuing as before, but propionic acid is now being produced in greater quantities than acetic or butyric acids. Harit Dhara can also be fed propionic acid, which provides a lot of energy for lactose production (milk sugar), and weight gain. Bhatta explained that the animal can rechannel methane emissions and use it for growth and milk production.
He stated that feeding 500g Harit Dhara to buffaloes and lactating cows would increase their milk production by 300-400 ml/animal/day. Additional weight gain would also be between 20-25 g/day for growing bovines (150 g) and 7 g/day for adult sheep (50 g). The benefit-cost ratio of the dairy farmer at Rs 30/litre milk price is 3:1.
“We have filed patent application for Harit Dhara after we conducted field validation. It can be used in compound animal feeds by substituting wheat bran or de-oiled rice bran. Bhatta said that farmers wouldn’t need to feed Harit Dhara separately to their animals.”
India’s 2019 Livestock Census revealed that India had 193.46 million cattle, 109.85million buffaloes, 148.88m goats, and 74.26m sheep. India’s ruminants are largely fed on agricultural residues such as wheat/paddy straw, maize, sorghum, and bajra stover. They produce 50-100% more methane than their counterparts in industrialised countries that are given easier fermentable/digestible concentrates.
Source:- Indian express
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