This research explored how dietary supplementation of calcium nitrate influences methane emissions, nitrogen excretion, ruminal fermentation parameters, and microbiota in Liuyang black goats. A total of twelve male goats from this breed were divided into two groups: one serving as a control group (CON), while the other received a treatment of 3% calcium nitrate (CAL). The research was conducted over a period of 40 days and comprised two separate trial phases. A 10-day adaptation period and a 5-day sampling period (days 11–15) for each stage. Results showed that incorporating calcium nitrate significantly reduced the emissions of methane (CH4) (p < 0.05) and carbon dioxide (CO2) (p < 0.05). Moreover, the use of calcium nitrate modified the trends in ruminal fermentation, resulting in an increase in pH (p < 0.05). Moreover, the ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P) was notably reduced in the CAL group (p < 0.05), indicating a shift toward enhanced production of propionate. At the microbial level, an increased presence of Bacteroidota and Prevotella was observed in the CAL group (p < 0.05). In contrast, the CON group exhibited elevated levels of Firmicutes and Methanobrevibacter (p < 0.05). This finding suggests that calcium nitrate plays a significant role in reducing methane emissions and also affects the fermentation processes in the rumen along with the microbiota of Liuyang black goats. Further research is needed to examine the long-term implications of calcium nitrate supplementation on the health and productivity of these goats.
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.