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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2025, Vol. 24 Issue (4): 1270-1284    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.01.026
Section 2: Animal genetics Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Effects of ratios of yak to cattle inocula on methane production and fiber digestion in rumen in vitro cultures

Weiwei Wang1, 2, Wei Guo1, 2, Jianxin Jiao1, Emilio M Ungerfeld3, Xiaoping Jing1, Xiaodan Huang4, Allan A Degen5, Yu Li1, Sisi Bi1, Ruijun Long1#

1 State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

2 Key Laboratory of Plateau Mountain Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Education/College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China

3 Centro Regional de Investigación Carillanca, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias INIA, Vilcún, La Araucanía 4880000, Chile

4 School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China

5 Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410500, Israel

 Highlights 
● Ratios of yak (YRI) and cattle rumen inoculum (CRI) incubated substrate.
● Methane decreased, while fiber digestibility and volatile fatty acids increased with an increase in YRI.
● Metabolic hydrogen flux and Gibbs energy changed with different ratios.
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摘要  牦牛(Bos grunniens)能够适应青藏高原的恶劣环境,与黄牛(Bos taurus)相比,其肠道消化所排放的甲烷(CH4)较少,且对粗饲料的消化降解能力较强。为研究牦牛瘤胃液对黄牛甲烷产量的抑制和提高其饲粮降解率的潜力,本研究将牦牛(YRI)与黄牛(CRI)的瘤胃液以5种比例体外混合(YRI: CRI,百分比基础):(1)0:100(对照);(2)25:75;(3)50:50;(4)75:25;(5)100:0;以燕麦干草(Avena satival)作为发酵底物,持续72 h体外混合发酵,设置12 h、24 h、48 h和72 h作为发酵参数监测时间点。研究发现:与0:100(对照)相比,在发酵的大多数时间点,50:50、75:25和100:0的YRI: CRI比例发酵生成的总气体量、CH4量和累积产生的氢气(H2)量均较低。从发酵的12 h起,随着YRI比例的增加,二氧化碳(CO2)产量呈线性下降(P < 0.05)。发酵至72 h时,50:50和75:25比例的干物质降解率(同比0:100比例,分别高7.71%和4.11%)和酸性洗涤纤维降解率(同比0:100比例,分别高15.5%和7.61%)高于0:100(对照)比例(P < 0.05)。而增加YRI比例后,混合发酵通常会增加瘤胃发酵液中的总挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)浓度,同时降低代谢氢([2H])平衡中流入CH4的比例,并降低[2H]的回收率。较低的[2H]回收率表明牦牛瘤胃液发酵中存在更多未知的[2H]受体。通过计算化学代谢途径吉布斯能变(∆G),发现还原乙酸途径(4 H2 +2 CO2 → CH3COOH + 2 H2O)的吉布斯自由能变(∆G)为负值,其反应可自发进行。本研究结果将益于今后开展以下研究:1)探究更多潜在的[2H]受体以助于CH4减排;2)挖掘更多参与纤维降解的核心微生物;3)牦牛瘤胃液如何贡献于其它反刍家畜减排。与黄牛相比,牦牛瘤胃液发酵的甲烷产量较低且对饲粮的降解率更高。而随着近年发展起来的多组学与微生物培养技术相结合,也将有助于更好地了解物种间瘤胃发酵机制间的差异。

Abstract  
Yaks are well-adapted to the harsh environment of the Tibetan Plateau, and they emit less enteric methane (CH4) and digest poor-quality forage better than cattle.  To examine the potential of yak rumen inoculum to mitigate CH4 production and improve digestibility in cattle, we incubated substrate with rumen inoculum from yak (YRI) and cattle (CRI) in vitro in five ratios (YRI:CRI): (1) 0:100 (control), (2) 25:75, (3) 50:50, (4) 75:25 and (5) 100:0 for 72 h.  The YRI: CRI ratios of 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0 produced less total gas and CH4 and accumulated less hydrogen (H2) than 0:100 (control) at most time points.  From 12 h onwards, there was a linear decrease (P<0.05) in carbon dioxide (CO2) production with increasing YRI:CRI ratio.  At 72 h, the ratios of 50:50 and 75:25 had higher dry matter (+7.71% and +4.11%, respectively), as well as higher acid detergent fiber digestibility (+15.5% and +7.61%, respectively), when compared to the 0:100 ratio (P<0.05).  Increasing the proportion of YRI generally increased total VFA concentrations, and, concomitantly, decreased the proportion of metabolic hydrogen ([2H]) incorporated into CH4, and decreased the recovery of [2H].  The lower [2H] recovery indicates unknown [2H] sinks in the culture.  Estimated Gibbs free energy changes (ΔG) for reductive acetogenesis were negative, indicating the thermodynamic feasibility of this process.  It would be beneficial to identify: 1) the alternative [2H] sinks, which could help mitigate CH4 emission, and 2) core microbes involved in fiber digestion.  This experiment supported lower CH4 emission and greater nutrient digestibility of yaks compared to cattle.  Multi-omics combined with microbial culture technologies developed in recent years could help to better understand fermentation differences among species.


Keywords:  yak rumen fluid       methane        digestibility        metabolic hydrogen   
Received: 25 March 2023   Accepted: 27 November 2023
Fund: 
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072757 and U21A20250).  The authors thank Wu An (Fulai Livestock Co. Inc., Gansu Province, China) for sample collections.
About author:  Weiwei Wang, E-mail: wangww14@lzu.edu.cn; #Correspondence Ruijun Long, Tel: +86-931-8912884, E-mail: longrj@lzu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Weiwei Wang, Wei Guo, Jianxin Jiao, Emilio M Ungerfeld, Xiaoping Jing, Xiaodan Huang, Allan A Degen, Yu Li, Sisi Bi, Ruijun Long. 2025. Effects of ratios of yak to cattle inocula on methane production and fiber digestion in rumen in vitro cultures. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(4): 1270-1284.

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