Short-term use of monensin and tannins as feed additives on digestibility and methanogenesis in cattle

• Main Authors: Flavio Perna Junior, Diana Carolina Zapata Vásquez, Rodrigo Gardinal, Paula Marques Meyer, Alexandre Berndt, Rosa Toyoko Shiraishi Friguetto, João José Assumpção de Abreu Demarchi, Paulo Henrique Mazza Rodrigues
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia
• Subjects: animal nutrition; gas production; methane; ruminants
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-35982020000100803&lng=en&tlng=en
• ISSN: 1516-3598; 1806-9290

ABSTRACT The objective was to assess the effects short-term use of monensin and Acacia mearnsii tannins as feed additives on nutrient intake, digestibility, and CH4 production in cattle. Six rumen-cannulated Holstein cows were distributed in two 3×3 Latin square experimental design, and each experimental period lasted 21 days. The basal diet was composed of corn silage and concentrate in a 50:50 dry matter (DM) basis proportion. Treatments were control, monensin (18 mg kg−1 of DM), and tannin-rich extract from Acacia mearnsii (total tannins equivalent to 6 g kg−1 of DM). Nutrient intake and apparent digestibility coefficients were not affected by the addition of monensin or tannins to diets. However, tannins showed a tendency to reduce crude protein digestibility. Monensin decreased CH4 emission by 25.6% (g kg−1 of body weight) compared with the control treatment. Monensin is more effective than Acacia mearnsii tannins in reducing CH4 emissions in the short term, considering a diet of the same roughage:concentrate proportion for cattle.