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Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is one of the major crops cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical countries, and the primary purpose is to obtain raw sugar. It is an important substance for sugar and alcohol production by both the sugar and beverage industries. During cane processing, various byproducts are obtained, namely sugarcane bagasse, bagasse ash, pressmud cake, sugarcane vinasse, and spent wash. There are many challenging problems in storage, and they cause great environmental pollution. This review discusses their properties by which they can be used for cleaner agricultural and environmental sustainability. Utilization of byproducts results in value-added soil properties and crop yield. Replacing chemical fertilization with these organic natured byproducts not only minimizes the surplus usage of chemical fertilizers but is also cost-effective and an eco-friendly approach. The drawbacks of the long-term application of these byproducts in the agricultural ecosystem are not well documented. We conclude that the agriculture sector can dispose of sugar industry byproducts, but proper systematic disposal is needed. The need arises to arrange some seminars, meetings, and training to make the farming community aware of byproducts utilization and setting a friendly relationship between the farming community and industrialists.

This review explores the potential of Chlorella vulgaris (CLV) as an alternative supplement in animal feed. CLV is rich in essential nutrients including fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, as well as bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, which contribute to its health-promoting properties. The nutritional composition of CLV can vary depending on factors such as cultivation methods, nutrient availability, light intensity, temperature, water pH, strain, and processing techniques. The rigid cell wall of the microalga limits nutrient accessibility, particularly in monogastric animals. However, processing techniques such as enzymatic treatments can disrupt the cell wall, enhancing nutrient bioavailability and improving its utility as a feed ingredient. Research across livestock species has demonstrated the positive effects of CLV supplementation. For instance, CLV has improved milk production and composition in ruminants, modulated rumen microbiota, enhanced lamb growth, and elevated blood immunoglobulin levels. Moreover, the impact of CLV on ruminal fermentation is dose-dependent, with higher inclusion rates exhibiting more pronounced effects, and it may also play a role in mitigating methane emissions. In poultry, CLV supplementation leads to better growth, feed conversion ratios, immune responses, and meat and egg quality. Similarly, studies on pigs suggest that CLV can benefit immune response and fatty acid profiles, while in rabbits, CLV has been found to reduce oxidative stress and improve immune responses. Additionally, CLV has shown promise in aquaculture, improving feed utilization, immunity, and disease resistance in various fish species. While CLV shows considerable potential, the variability in animal responses and the need for optimized inclusion levels necessitate further species-specific research to elucidate the long-term implications of its inclusion in animal diets.

There is a growing interest in utilizing seaweed in ruminant diets for mitigating enteric methane (CH ) emissions while improving animal health. is a red seaweed that grows in the Gulf of Maine (United States) and has shown to suppress CH production . Organic dairy producers in Maine are currently feeding seaweed due to herd health promoting benefits. However, large-scale adoption depends on technical and financial factors, as well as validation from pilot studies. A survey was developed to identify barriers and drivers towards the adoption of CH -reducing algal-based feeds. Concurrently, a randomized complete block design study was conducted to investigate the effect of on enteric CH emissions and milk production in a typical Maine organic dairy farm. Twenty-two organically certified Holstein and Jersey cows averaging 29 ± 6.8 kg of milk/d and 150 ± 69 days in milk, were blocked and randomly assigned to a control diet without (0CC), or with 6% [dry matter (DM) basis] (6CC). Samples were collected on the last week of the 2-wk covariate period, and wk 3, 5, 8, and 10 after initiation of treatments for a total of 12 weeks. Gaseous emissions were measured using a GreenFeed unit. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with repeated measures over time. All survey respondents ( = 35; 54% response rate) were familiar with seaweeds as feed, and 34% were already users. Producers who were willing to pay 0.64 USD/cow/d on average for a CH -reducing algal-based feed, also stated the need for co-benefits in terms of cattle health and performance as a requirement for adoption. Feeding 6CC decreased enteric CH production by 13.9% compared with 0CC (401 vs. 466 g/d). Further, milk yield (mean = 27.1 kg/d), CH intensity (mean = 15.2 g of CH /kg of energy corrected milk), and concentrations and yields of milk fat and true protein were not affected by treatments. Producer receptiveness to CH -reducing algal-based feeds will not only be dependent on purchase price, but also on co-benefits and simplicity of integration into existing feed practices. Feeding at 6% of the diet DM decreased CH production in dairy cows by 13.9% without negative effects on milk yield and composition. Identifying the bioactive compounds in is critical to understand the effect of this red seaweed on mitigating enteric CH emissions in dairy cows.

Lignans are polyphenolic compounds with a wide spectrum of biological functions including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities, therefore, there is an increasing interest in promoting the inclusion of lignan-rich foods in humans’ diets. Flaxseed is the richest source of the lignan secoisolariciresinol diglucoside—a compound found in the outer fibrous-containing layers of flax. The rumen appears to be the major site for the conversion of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside to the enterolignans enterodiol and enterolactone, but only enterolactone has been detected in milk of dairy cows fed flaxseed products (whole seeds, hulls, meal). However, there is limited information regarding the ruminal microbiota species involved in the metabolism of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside. Likewise, little is known about how dietary manipulation such as varying the nonstructural carbohydrate profile of rations affects milk enterolactone in dairy cows. Our review covers the gastrointestinal tract metabolism of lignans in humans and animals and presents an in-depth assessment of research that have investigated the impacts of flaxseed products on milk enterolactone concentration and animal health. It also addresses the pharmacokinetics of enterolactone consumed through milk, which may have implications to ruminants and humans’ health.

Introduction Enteric methane (CH4) emissions are one of the largest components of the anthropogenic CH4 budget, and with accelerating climatic changes, there are calls to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Certain seaweeds fed as supplements can reduce enteric CH4 emissions from ruminant animals by as much as 80%; however, these studies have yet to analyze downstream impacts that may arise from the deposit of affected manures on pastures or agricultural fields. Materials and Methods Here we conducted a 28‐day soil and manure incubation utilizing manures collected from dairy cows in a seaweed feeding trial to analyze the impacts of manure on greenhouse gas fluxes and nutrient cycling. Cows were fed different diets with a control group (no seaweed supplementation), and a 3% and 6% by dry‐weight seaweed (Chondrus crispus) supplementation. Three soil moisture treatments were also tested, with a field moist capacity [67% gravimetric water content (GWC)], a drier group (50% GWC), and a saturated treatment (84% GWC). Results We found that manure from seaweed‐fed cows reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and had similar emissions of methane and nitrous oxide to the control. Higher moisture levels increased CH4 emissions and nitrous oxide emissions with CH4 emissions trending higher in seaweed supplements trending higher in. Inorganic nitrogen turnover varied more based on moisture levels than seaweed supplements, as did the magnitude of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Total carbon and nitrogen mostly decreased except in the 3% seaweed supplementation, which increased carbon and nitrogen with a drop in C:N in the 50% GWC group. Conclusion Seaweed supplements may partially reduce climate impacts of manures from cows fed seaweed supplements or at least not cause harm or impact manure quality. Given feeds may reduce enteric CH4 emissions, they may be a part of a successful strategy to reduce climate impacts of cattle.

We aimed to investigate the effects of calcium-ammonium nitrate (CAN) fed to lactating dairy goats on dry matter (DM) intake, digestibility of nutrients, milk properties (composition, antioxidant capacity, fatty acid profile, and nitrate residues), and ruminal fermentation parameters. Twelve lactating Saanen goats averaging 98.5 ± 13.1 days in milk, 53.5 ± 3.3 kg of body weight, and 2.53 ± 0.34 kg of milk/day were randomly assigned in four 3 × 3 Latin squares to receive the following diets: a control group (without CAN) with 7.3 g/kg DM of urea (URE), 10 g/kg DM of CAN (CAN10), and 20 g/kg DM of CAN (CAN20). Each period lasted 21 days, with 14 days for diet adaptation and seven days for data and sample collection. The DM intake, digestibility of nutrients, yields of milk, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, and energy-corrected milk were not affected by treatments. Similarly, there were no treatment effects on the yields and concentrations of milk fat, true protein, and lactose, along with minor effects on milk fatty acid profile. Total antioxidant capacity in milk was unaffected by treatments; however, concentration of conjugated dienes increased, while thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in milk decreased linearly. Nitrate and nitrite residues in milk were elevated by treatments, while the total of volatile fatty acids and ammonia-N concentration in the rumen were unaffected. Collectively, feeding CAN (up to 20 g/kg of DM) to lactating dairy goats did not affect feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and milk composition; however, it may increase milk lipid oxidation, as evidenced by increased conjugated diene concentration.

Phytoestrogens are plant-produced secondary compounds that mimic the animal sex hormone estrogen. Several legumes, including red clover, produce phytoestrogens as stress defense molecules, and climate change-driven increases in atmospheric temperature and CO 2 may intensify their production. We conducted a growth chamber study to determine the effects of short-term exposure to elevated temperature ( e T) and CO 2 ( e CO 2 ), both alone and in combination, on phytoestrogen concentrations in red clover and cowpea. Plants were grown in ambient conditions (24/18 °C, day/night, and ~ 400 ppm CO 2 ) and then exposed to e T (35/26 °C, day/night), e CO 2 (750 ± 50 ppm), or both factors for 10 days. Phytoestrogen concentrations in cowpea vegetative tissues were below the level of detection under all conditions. In red clover, exposure to e T reduced total phytoestrogen concentration by 50%, from 3.9 to 1.9 mg/g dry matter. Most of this decrease was driven by reduced concentrations of the isoflavones formononetin and biochanin A. Elevated CO 2 did not influence total phytoestrogen levels in red clover but reduced daidzein concentration by 43%. Plant physiological variables measured concurrently with phytoestrogens were weakly correlated with concentrations of individual phytoestrogen compounds and total phytoestrogens in red clover.

Abstract There has been an intense debate regarding the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of confinement versus grazing dairy systems. Our goal was to conduct a meta-analysis to compare dry matter intake, milk yield and composition, nutrient use efficiency (i.e., feed efficiency, milk N efficiency), and predicted enteric CH4 emissions using studies that simultaneously evaluated confinement and grazing. We were able to include in the meta-analysis 8 peer-reviewed articles that met the following selection criteria: (1) publication between 1991 and 2021 in English language, (2) report either SEM or SD, (3) inclusion of at least 1 confinement [total mixed ration or fresh cut herbage fed indoors (i.e., zero-grazing)] and 1 grazing treatment in the same study, and (4) use of markers (internal or external) to estimate herbage dry matter intake. Two unpublished experiments were added to the data set resulting in a total of 10 studies for comparing confinement and grazing. The magnitude of the effect (i.e., effect size) was evaluated using weighted raw mean differences between grazing and confinement systems for a random effect model. Enteric CH4 production was predicted as follows: CH4 (g/d) = 33.2 (13.54) + 13.6 (0.33) × dry matter intake + 2.43 (0.245) × neutral detergent fiber. Dry matter intake (–9.5%), milk yield (–9.3%), milk fat yield (–5.8%), milk protein yield (–10%), and energy-corrected milk (–12%) all decreased in grazing versus confined dairy cows. In contrast, concentration of milk fat and feed efficiency (energy-corrected milk/dry matter intake) were not affected by management system. Whereas milk protein concentration increased, milk nitrogen (N) efficiency (milk N/N intake) tended to decrease in grazing compared with confinement. Predicted enteric CH4 production was 6.1% lower in grazing than confined dairy cows. However, CH4 yield (g/kg of dry matter intake) and CH4 intensity (g/kg of energy-corrected milk) did not change between confinement and grazing. In conclusion, while production performance decreased in grazing dairy cows, nutrient use efficiency and predicted enteric CH4 emissions were relatively similar in both management systems. Results of our meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of studies that met our inclusion criteria leading to a limited number of treatment mean comparisons.

The viability of organic dairy operations in the United States (US) relies on forage production. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess producer and farm information regarding current forage production practices and producer knowledge gaps and (2) identify forage research and educational needs of organic dairy producers across the US. A survey was distributed to 643 organic dairy producers across the US, with 165 respondents (26% response rate). A focus group consisting of extension professionals, university researchers and staff, consultants, dairy industry representatives and organic dairy producers was also consulted for forage research needs. Results showed that approximately half (51%) of surveyed producers were somewhat satisfied with their forage production systems and sometimes experienced negative weather-related impacts on forage yield and quality. A majority (64%) of producers felt their knowledge to meet farm goals was adequate but they reported a lack of resources to implement this knowledge especially for balancing high-forage diets and selecting soil amendments. This study revealed that 54% of producers rely on peer experiences as information resources to make decisions on forage programs. Producer knowledge gaps included pasture renovation with reduced or no-tillage, forage mixtures that match their needs, and forage management practices aiming for high-quality forage. Based on the survey and focus group findings, forage research and educational activities should foster climate change resilience regarding forage diversity adapted to local and regional climatic conditions, improve forage quality, enhance economic returns from soil fertility amendments and pasture renovation, and introduce new forages and forage mixtures that suit economical, agronomical, and environmental needs.