Ranking cows’ methane emissions under commercial conditions with sniffers versus respiration chambers

G.F. Difford*, D.W. Olijhoek, A.L.F. Hellwing, P. Lund, M.A. Bjerring, Y. de Haas, J. Lassen, P. Løvendahl

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study assessed the ranking of dairy cows using individual-level correlations for methane (CH 4 ) emission on-farm using sniffers and in respiration chambers. In total 20 lactating dairy cows, ten Holstein and ten Jerseys were recorded using sniffers installed in milking robots for three weeks of lactation and subsequently in respiration chambers (RC) where they were each recorded on three occasions within the RC. Bivariate linear mixed models were used to determine the individual-level correlations (r I ) between sniffer and RC phenotypes as proxies for genetic correlations. Despite differences in feeding and management, the predicted CH 4 production from sniffers correlated highly with RC CH 4 production r I = 0.77 ± 0.18 and CH 4 breath concentration correlated nearly as well with RC CH 4 production r I = 0.75 ± 0.20. These correlations between sniffers on-farm and RC demonstrate the potential of sniffers measurements as large-scale indicator traits for CH 4 emissions in dairy cattle.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)25-32
JournalActa Agriculturae Scandinavica A: Animal Sciences
Volume68
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • breath concentration
  • Methane
  • respiration chambers
  • sniffers

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Ranking cows’ methane emissions under commercial conditions with sniffers versus respiration chambers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this