Effects of Acacia mearnsii added to silages differing in nutrient composition and condensed tannins on ruminal and manure-derived methane emissions of dairy cows.

This study investigated the effects of acacia (extract of Acacia mearnsii) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) as condensed tannin (CT)-rich sources on ruminal and manure methane (CH4) emissions in comparison with non-CT silages characterized by different contents of the cell wall and water-soluble carbohydrates. In a 3 × 6 incomplete Latin square design, 30 Holstein cows (63 ± 23 d in milk; mean ± SD; 33.8 ± 7.6 kg of milk per day, body weight 642 ± 81 kg) were provided with ad libitum access to 1 of 6 total mixed rations comprising 790 g of silage and 210 g of concentrate per kilogram of dry matter (DM). The silages were either rich in sainfoin [neutral detergent fiber (NDF): 349 g/kg of DM], perennial ryegrass (NDF: 420 g/kg of DM), or red clover (NDF: 357 g/kg of DM). Each silage was supplemented with 20 g/kg (of total diet DM) of acacia or straw meal. Feed intake and milk yield were recorded daily. Milk composition and ruminal fluid characteristics and microbiota were analyzed. The individual ruminal CH4 production was determined using the GreenFeed system, and CH4 emissions from the manure of cows fed the same diets were measured in a parallel experiment over 30 d at 25°C using a dynamic flux chamber. The CT sources did not reduce CH4 yield or emission intensity. Acacia reduced milk production (from 26.3 to 23.2 kg/d) and DM intake (from 19.7 to 16.7 kg/d) when supplemented with ryegrass, and both CT sources reduced the milk protein content and yield. Acacia supplementation and ryegrass silage reduced the ruminal acetate:propionate ratio. Furthermore, during acacia treatment, the abundance of Methanobrevibacter archaea tended to be lower and that of Thermoplasmata was higher. Acacia reduced the CH4 emissions from manure for the ryegrass group by 17% but not for the sainfoin and clover groups. Feeding sainfoin silage resulted in the lowest manure-derived CH4 emissions (-47% compared with ryegrass). In conclusion, acacia reduced ruminal CH4 production by 10%, but not emission intensity, and the mitigation effect of sainfoin depended on the silage to which it was compared. Because mitigation was partially associated with animal productivity losses, careful evaluation is required before the implementation of tanniferous feeds in farm practice.