Methane emission, nitrogen excretion, and energy partitioning in Hanwoo steers fed a typical TMR diet supplemented with Pharbitis nil seeds

Two in vivo experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential of Pharbitis nil seeds (PA) as an anti-methanogenic additive to ruminant feed. In experiment 1, six Hanwoo steers (459.0 ± 25.8 kg) were fed either a total mixed ration (TMR; 32-d period) or TMR supplemented with PA at 5% dry matter (DM) intake (TMR-PA; 45-d period) for two consecutive periods. Fecal and urine outputs were measured in an apparent digestibility trial in both periods. Methane (CH 4 ) yield and heat energy (HE) were measured using respiratory chambers equipped with gas analyzers. In experiment 2, five rumen cannulated Holstein steers (744 ± 35 kg) were fed the same TMR or TMR-PA diets for 40 days; rumen samples were collected at 0, 1.5, and 3 h after feeding on the last day of the feeding period. In experiment 1, although there were no differences ( p 0.05) in nutrients or gross energy intake (GEI) between the groups, an increase ( p 0.05) in the apparent digestibility of DM (9.1%) and neutral detergent fiber (22.9%) was observed in the TMR-PA fed Hanwoo steers. Pronounced decreases ( p 0.05) in CH 4 (g/Kg DM; 17.1%) and urinary N excretion (% N intake; 7.6%) were observed in the TMR-PA group, leading to a 14.7% increase in metabolizable energy intake (% GEI). However, only a numerical increase ( p 0.05) in retained energy was observed due to the increase in HE loss. In experiment 2, a drastic decrease ( p 0.05) in rumen ammonia concentration (56.3%) associated with an increased ( p = 0.091) rumen short-chain fatty acid concentration 1.5 h after feeding were observed in TMR-PA fed Holstein steers. A 26.6% increase ( p 0.05) in the propionate proportion during the treatment period clearly reflected a shift in the ruminal H 2 sink after 3 h of feeding. A 40% reduction ( p = 0.067) in the relative abundance of rumen protozoa Entodinium caudatum was also observed. It was concluded that PA could be a natural feed additive for CH 4 and N emission abatement.