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Ruminant enteric methane, the largest agricultural source of CH₄, is a key target in global climate policies. We developed a biowaste-derived live fed microbial (LFM) from fruit- and vegetable residues and evaluated its potential as a scalable intervention to reduce enteric methane while improving animal performance. In controlled in vitro assays and a 98 days in vivo feeding trial in bovine calves ( n  = 15), LFM at 2% dietary inclusion (dry-matter basis) improved feed efficiency by 30.9%, reduced modelled methane emissions by 25.2%, increased total volatile fatty acids by 45.5%, and lowered NH₃–N by 28.4%. At 3% inclusion, feed efficiency improved by 25.5%, methane emissions decreased by 30.4%, total VFA increased by 43.0%, and NH₃–N declined by 11.7%. Methane abatement was estimated by integrating in vitro and in vivo measurements using an empirically fitted conversion factor and Tier-2–compatible intake models. The IPCC (2006) Tier-2 equivalents indicated ~19% reduction. Scaling to India’s livestock herd suggested abatement of 15.4 Mt CH₄ yr⁻¹ (432.3 Mt CO₂-eq yr⁻¹; GWP₁₀₀ = 28) under full adoption, corresponding to ~US$494.1 million annually under the carbon-price assumption used. These findings position biowaste-derived LFM as a circular-economy feed technology capable of simultaneously improving productivity and reducing enteric methane emissions at scale.

The complex microbiome of the rumen functions as an effective system for the conversion of plant cell wall biomass to microbial proteins, short chain fatty acids and gases. In this study, metagenomic approaches were used to study the microbial populations and metabolic potential of the microbial community. DNA was extracted from Surti Buffalo rumen samples (four treatments diet) and sequenced separately using a 454 GS FLX Titanium system. We used comparative metagenomics to examine metabolic potential and phylogenetic composition from pyrosequence data generated in four samples, considering phylogenetic composition and metabolic potentials in the rumen may remarkably be different with respect to nutrient utilization. Assignment of metagenomic sequences to SEED categories of the Metagenome Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology (MG-RAST) server revealed a genetic profile characteristic of fermentation of carbohydrates in a high roughage diet. The distribution of phylotypes and environmental gene tags (EGTs) detected within each rumen sample were dominated by Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in all the samples. The results of this study could help to determine the role of rumen microbes and their enzymes in plant polysaccharide breakdown is fundamental to understanding digestion and maximising productivity in ruminant animals.

Methane emissions from ruminant livestock are considered to be one of the more potent forms of greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Many strategies to reduce emissions are targeting the methanogens that inhabit the rumen, but such an approach can only be successful if it targets all the major groups of ruminant methanogens. Therefore, basic knowledge of the diversity of these microbes in breeds of buffalo is required. Therefore, the methanogenic community in the rumen of Surti buffaloes was analyzed by PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) gene. A total of 76 clones were identified, revealing 14 different sequences (phylotypes). All 14 sequences were similar to methanogens belonging to the order Methanobacteriales. Within Methanobacteriales, 12 clones (6 OTUs) were similar to Methanosphaera stadtmanae and the remaining 8 phylotypes (64 clones) were similar to unclassified Methanobacteriales. Overall, members of the Methanobacteriales dominated the mcrA clone library in the rumen of Surti buffalo. Further studies and effective strategies can be made to inhibit the growth of Methanobacteriales to reduce methane emission from the rumen which would help in preventing global warming.

In the milk industry in India, buffalo breeds are most commonly used for milk production. Efficiency of fiber digestion in ruminants is critical for animal productivity. Bacteria play an important role in fiber digestion and utilization. Absolute quantification real-time PCR was used to quantify ten bacterial species in rumen fluid of Surti buffalo fed green fodder, dry roughage and compound concentrate mixture. Abundance of each target taxon was calculated as a fraction of the total 16S rRNA gene copies in the samples, using taxon-specific primers. Bacterial populations showed a clear predominance of Ruminococcus albus, which comprised 5.66% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies in the samples. However, only 0.9% to 4.24% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies were represented by the ruminal Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Prevotella species. The proportion of rRNA gene copies attributable to Selenomonas ruminantium, Streptococcus bovis, Ruminobacter amylophilus, Treponema bryantii and Anaerovibrio lipolytica was even less abundant, each comprising < 0.11% of the bacterial rRNA gene copies. The data suggest that the aggregate abundance of the most intensively studied ruminal bacterial species is relatively low and that a large fraction of the uncultured population represents a single bacterial genus.