Abstract
Despite tropical grasses being the main feed source for major part of ruminant livestock, information about nutritional quality changes under climate changes scenario are still scarce. The novelty of this work was to determine the effects of season and elevated CO2 under field conditions upon biomass production and nutritional value of Brachiaria decumbens during 2 years. The Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment was established in twelve rings: six of them being the control (current atmosphere) and others six fumigated with pure CO2 to achieve a higher concentration (e[CO2]). In each ring, two 0.25 m2 plots have been established with B. decumbens and after standardization cut, green forage yield was evaluated frequently. Plant samples were collected at 20 cm height and evaluated for determining the biomass production, nutritive value and in vitro enteric methane (CH4) production. Season and year had significant effect (P < 0.01) upon all the studied variables. Biomass production, acid detergent fibre and cellulose contents of samples from e[CO2] were statistically greater (P < 0.05). Carbon, nitrogen and crude protein content were within the normal range and as well as CH4 production were not altered by e[CO2] (P > 0.05). Overall, e[CO2] and rainfall seasons significantly increased forage production, contributing to sequester carbon in plant biomass, but this C4 tropical grass must be grazed at its best protein and fermentable carbohydrate ratio for advantages in the rumen microbial synthesis and lowering CH4 production intensity of the production system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdalla Filho, A. L., Costa Junior, G. T., Lima, P. M. T., Soltangheisi, A., Abdalla, A. L., Ghini, R., et al. (2019a). Fiber fractions, multielemental and isotopic composition of a tropical C4 grass grown under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. PeerJ,7, e5932. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5932.
Abdalla Filho, A. L., Lima, P. M. T., Sakita, G. Z., Silva, T. P. D., Costa, W. S., Ghini, R., et al. (2019b). CO2 fertilization does not affect biomass production and nutritive value of a C4 tropical grass in short timeframe. Grass & Forage Science,00, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12443.
Abdalla, A. L., Louvandini, H., Sallam, S. M. A. H., Bueno, I. C. S., Tsai, S. M., & Figueira, A. V. O. (2012). In vitro evaluation, in vivo quantification, and microbial diversity studies of nutritional strategies for reducing enteric methane production. Tropical Animal Health and Production,44, 953–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-011-99920.
AOAC. (1995). Official methods of analysis (16th ed.). Washington, DC: Association of Official Analytical Chemists.
Assad, E. D., Pinto, H. S., Zullo Junior, J., & Ávila, A. M. H. (2004). Impacto das mudanças climáticas no zoneamento agroclimático do café no Brasil. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira,39, 1057–1064. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2004001100001.
Augustine, D. J., Blumenthal, D. M., Springer, T. L., LeCain, D. R., Gunter, S. A., & Derner, J. D. (2018). Elevated CO2 induces substantial and persistent declines in forage quality irrespective of warming in mixedgrass prairie. Ecological Applications,28, 721–735. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1680.
Braz, S. P., Urquiaga, S., Alves, B. J. R., Jantalia, C. P., Guimarães, A. P. P., Santos, C. A., et al. (2013). Soil carbon stocks under productive and degraded pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado. Soil Science Society of America Journal,77, 914–928. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2012.0269.
Bueno, I. C. S., Cabral Filho, S. L. S., Gobbo, S. P., Louvandini, H., Vitti, D. M. S. S., & Abdalla, A. L. (2005). Influence of inoculum source in a gas production method. Animal Feed Science and Technology,123–124, 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2005.05.003.
Casagrande, D. R., Azenha, M. V., Valente, A. L. S., Vieira, B. R., Moretti, M. H., Ruggieri, A. C., et al. (2011). Canopy characteristics and behavior of Nellore heifers in Brachiaria brizantha pastures under different grazing heights at a continuous stocking rate. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia,40, 2294–2301. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982011001100003.
Coelho, J. S., Araújo, S. A. C., Viana, M. C. M., Villela, S. D. J., Freire, F. M., & Braz, T. G. S. (2014). Morfofisiologia e valor nutritivo do capim-braquiária em sistema silvipastoril com diferentes arranjos espaciais. Semina Ciências Agrárias,35, 1487. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2014v35n3p1487.
Costa, K. A. P., Severiano, E. C., Simon, A. G., Epifanio, P. S., Silva, A. G., Costa, R. R. G. F., et al. (2014). Nutritional characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cultivars subjected to different intensities cutting. American Journal of Plant Sciences,05, 1961–1972. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2014.513210.
Crous, K. Y., Reich, P. B., Hunter, M. D., & Ellsworth, D. S. (2010). Maintenance of leaf N controls the photosynthetic CO2 response of grassland species exposed to 9 years of free-air CO2 enrichment. Global Change Biology,16, 2076–2088. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.13652486.2009.02058.x.
Demarchi, J. J. A. A., Manella, M. Q., Primavesi, O., Frighetto, R. T. S., Romero, L. A., Berndt, A., et al. (2016). Effect of seasons on enteric methane emissions from cattle grazing Urochloa brizantha. Journal of Agricultural Science,8, 106–115. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v8n4p106.
Dineshkumar, D., Abdalla, A. L., Silva, S. C. M. L., Lucas, R. C., Cavalcante, S. E. A. S., Souza, G. D., et al. (2014). Effect of temperature and pre-incubation time of fibrolytic enzymes on in vitro degradability of Brachiaria (Brachiaria decumbens). Animal Production Science,54, 1779–1783. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN14262.
Dumont, B., Andueza, D., Niderkorn, V., Luscher, A., Porqueddu, C., & Picon-Cochard, C. (2015). A meta-analysis of climate change effects on forage quality in grasslands: specificities of mountain and Mediterranean areas. Grass & Forage Science,70, 239–254. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12169.
Erbs, M., Manderscheid, R., Jansen, G., Seddig, S., Wroblewitz, S., Huther, L., et al. (2015). Elevated CO2 (FACE) affects food and feed quality of cereals (wheat, barley, maize): interactions with N and water supply. Procedia Environmental Sciences,29, 57–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.155.
Erice, G., Irigoyen, J. J., Pérez, P., Martínez-Carrasco, R., & Sanchez-Diaz, M. (2006). Effect of elevated CO2, temperature and drought on dry matter partitioning and photosynthesis before and after cutting of nodulated alfalfa. Plant Science,170, 1059–1067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2005.12.018.
Ghannoum, O., Von Caemmerer, S., Ziska, L. H., & Conroy, J. P. (2000). The growth response of C4 plants to rising atmospheric CO2 partial pressure: A reassessment. Plant, Cell and Environment,23, 931–942. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.2000.00609.x.
Ghini, R., Bettiol, W., & Hamada, E. (2011). Diseases in tropical and plantation crops as affected by climate changes: current knowledge and perspectives. Plant Pathology,60, 122–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3059.2010.02403.x.
Ghini, R., Torre-Neto, A., Dentzien, A. F. M., Guerreiro-Filho, O., Iost, R., Patrício, F. R. A., et al. (2015). Coffee growth, pest and yield responses to free-air CO2 enrichment. Climatic Change,132, 307–320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1422-2.
Gracindo, C. V., Louvandini, H., Riet-Correa, F., Barbosa-Ferreira, M., & Castro, M. B. (2014). Performance of sheep grazing in pastures of Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria brizantha, Panicum maximum, and Andropogon gayanus with different protodioscin concentrations. Tropical Animal Health and Production,46, 733–737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0556-y.
Habermann, E., San Martin, J. A. B., Contin, D. R., Bossan, V. P., Barboza, A., Braga, M. R., et al. (2019). Increasing atmospheric CO2 and canopy temperature induces anatomical and physiological changes in leaves of the C4 forage species Panicum maximum. PLoS ONE,14, e0212506. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212506.
Haque, N. (2018). Dietary manipulation: A sustainable way to mitigate methane emissions from ruminants. Journal of Animal Science and Technology,60, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40781-018-0175-7.
International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—Climate System Scenario Tables, Annex II: Climate Change. (2013). The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leakey, A. D. B., Ainsworth, E. A., Bernacchi, C. J., Rogers, A., Long, S. P., & Ort, D. R. (2009). Elevated CO2 effects on plant carbon, nitrogen, and water relations: six important lessons from FACE. Journal of Experimental Botany,60, 2859–2876. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erp096.
Leakey, A. D. B., Uribelarrea, M., Ainsworth, E. A., Naidu, S. L., Rogers, A., Ort, D. R., et al. (2006). Photosynthesis, productivity, and yield of maize are not affected by open-air elevation of CO2 concentration in the absence of drought. Plant Physiology,140, 779–790. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.105.073957.
Lima, H. L., Goes, R. H. T. B., Cerilo, S. L. N., Oliveira, E. R., Brabes, K. C. S., & Teodoro, A. L. (2012). Nutritional value of Marandu grass, under grazing by three sampling methods. Acta Scientiarum Animal Sciences,34, 379–384. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascianimsci.v34i4.13745.
Longo, C., Bueno, I. C. S., Nozella, E. F., Goddoy, P. B., Cabral Filho, S. L. S., & Abdalla, A. L. (2006). The influence of head-space and inoculum dilution on in vitro ruminal methane measurements. International Congress Series,1293, 62–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ics.2006.03.017.
Maia, G. A., Aparecida, K., Costa, D. P., Severiano, E. C., Epifanio, P. S., Neto, J. F., et al. (2014). Yield and chemical composition of Brachiaria forage grasses in the offseason after corn harvest. American Journal of Plant Sciences,5, 933–941. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2014.57106.
Maia, S. M. F., Ogle, S. M., Cerri, C. E. P., & Cerri, C. C. (2009). Effect of grassland management on soil carbon sequestration in Rondônia and Mato Grosso states, Brazil. Geoderma,149, 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.11.023.
Martinez, C. A., Bianconi, M., Silva, L., Approbato, L., Lemos, A., Santos, M., et al. (2014). Moderate warming increases PSII performance, antioxidant scavenging systems and biomass production in Stylosanthes capitata Vogel. Environmental and Experimental Botany,102, 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2014.02.001.
Mauricio, R. M., Mould, F. L., Dhanoa, M. S., Owen, E., Channa, K. S., & Theodorou, M. K. (1999). A semi-automated in vitro gas production technique for ruminant feedstuff evaluation. Animal Feed Science and Technology,79, 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/S03778401(99)00033-4.
McGranahan, D. A., & Yurkonis, K. A. (2018). Variability in grass forage quality and quantity in response to elevated CO2 and water limitation. Grass & Forage Science,73, 517–521. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12338.
Milchunas, D. G., Mosier, A. R., Morgan, J. A., LeCain, D. R., King, J. Y., & Nelson, J. A. (2005). Elevated CO2 and defoliation effects on a shortgrass steppe: Forage quality versus quantity for ruminants. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment,111, 166–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2005.06.014.
Nave, R. L. G., Pedreira, C. G. S., & Pedreira, B. C. (2010). Nutritive value and physical characteristics of Xaraes palisadegrass as affected by grazing strategy. South African Journal of Animal Science,40, 285–293.
Porteaus, F., Hill, J., Ball, A., Pinter, P. B., Wall, G., et al. (2009). Effect of Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) on the chemical composition and nutritive value of wheat grain and straw. Animal Feed Science and Technology,149, 322–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2008.07.003.
Reich, P. B., Hobbie, S. E., & Lee, T. D. (2014). Plant growth enhancement by elevated CO2 eliminated by joint water and nitrogen limitation. Nature Geosciences,7, 920–924. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2284.
Reich, P. B., Hobbie, S. E., Lee, T. D., & Pastore, M. A. (2018). Response to comment on “Unexpected reversal of C3 versus C4 grass response to elevated CO2 during a 20-year field experiment”. Science,361, 6407. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau8982.
Sage, R. F. (2004). The evolution of C4 photosynthesis. New Phytologist,161, 341–370. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2004.00974.x.
Santos, M. E. R., Silveira, M. C. T., Gomes, V. M., Fonseca, D. M., Sousa, B. M. L., & Santos, A. D. (2013). Pasture height at the beginning of deferment as a determinant of signal grass structure and potential selectivity by cattle. Acta Scientiarum Animal Sciences,35, 379–385. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascianimsci.v35i4.20421.
Santos, R. M., Voltolini, T. V., Angelotti, F., Aidar, S. T., & Chaves, A. R. M. (2014). Productive and morphogenetic responses of buffel grass at different air temperatures and CO2 concentrations. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnica,43, 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-35982014000800002.
SAS® v.9.3 Statistical Analysis System Inst., Cary, North Carolina, 2011.
Soltan, Y. A., Morsy, A. S., Lucas, R. C., & Abdalla, A. L. (2017). Potential of mimosine of Leucaena leucocephala for modulating ruminal nutrient degradability and methanogenesis. Animal Feed Science and Technology,223, 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2016.11.003.
Stokes, C., Ash, A., Tibbett, M., & Holtum, J. (2005). OzFACE: the Australian savanna free air CO2 enrichment facility and its relevance to carbon-cycling issues in a tropical savanna. Australian Journal of Botany,53, 677–687. https://doi.org/10.1071/BT04140.
Tom-dery, D., Eller, F., Jensen, K., & Reisdorff, C. (2018). Effects of elevated carbon dioxide and climate change on biomass and nutritive value of Kyasuwa (Cenchrus pedicellatus Trin.). Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality,95, 88–95. https://doi.org/10.5073/JABFQ.2018.091.012.
Udén, P., Robinson, P. H., & Wiseman, J. (2005). Use of detergent system terminology and criteria for submission of manuscripts on new, or revised, analytical methods as well as descriptive information on feed analysis and/or variability. Animal Feed Science and Technology,118, 181–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2004.11.011.
Van Soest, P. J., Robertson, J. B., & Lewis, B. A. (1991). Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science,74, 3583–3597. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the fellowship grant and financial support from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (#303713/2012-7; #471813/2012-5; #304189/2013-8), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (#2014/17938-4; #2015/14699-1) and Embrapa project “CLIMAPEST”.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abdalla, A.L., Abdalla Filho, A.L., Natel, A.S. et al. Nutritive Value and Enteric Methane Production of Brachiaria spp. Under Elevated [CO2]. Int. J. Plant Prod. 14, 119–126 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-019-00072-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-019-00072-6