Methane Emissions from Ruminants on Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems

Ruminant livestock produce ~80 million tonnes of methane (CH4) annually, accounting for ~33% of global anthropogenic emissions of CH4 (Beauchemin et al. 2008). CH4 is a powerful greenhouse gas, with global warming potential of 25 (Eckard et al. 2010), and represents a significant loss of dietary energy (2 to 12% of gross energy of feeds; Patra 2012) in the ruminant production system. Despite greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have become an increasingly important topic worldwide, there is still a high variability around the estimated values of these emissions, mainly about emissions attributable to livestock (range from 8 to 51%; Herrero et al. 2011). This variability creates confusion among researchers, policy makers and the public, particularly in tropical/sub-tropical regions due substantial uncertainties. Therefore, using rigorous and internationally accepted protocols, a Brazilian national project was established in order to contribute for the estimates of GHG emissions attributable to livestock in Brazilian ruminant production systems. Moreover, enteric CH4 emissions are a major challenge for research, in order to develop technologies and strategies for sustainable ruminant production systems in the future (Eckard et al. 2010). In recent years, integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) have gained interest due to, for example, the abatement of methane from livestock production: directly through a reduction in CH4 per unit of animal products resulting from the increase on feed quality and animal welfare (i.e. improved environmental temperature for ICLS with trees), and indirectly through reduction of area submitted to land use changes (i.e. leading to a loss of soil C stocks). This paper deals with the preliminary results from CH4 emissions by beef heifers grazing in two ICLS (i.e. production system that integrates corn or soybeans crops, during the warm season, and cattle grazing on a cool season pasture, on the same area and in the same cropping year, with or without trees), how these findings contributes to determine the soil C balance and mitigation measures

Interactive Tree and N Supply Effect on Root Mass of Two Annual Pasture Grasses

A major aim of integrated crop livestock system (ICLS) with trees is to increase the overall land productivity and/or its sustainability by making best use of the environmental resources (water, light and nutrients) used by plant for growth (Jose et al. 2008). Consequently, research efforts have been done in order to investigate the complex animal-plant-soils interactions operating upon the biological production of these systems, and their environmental impacts. For instance, since roots return to soil as a stock of C in the soil is in general larger than shoot return, interest in describing plant root system has increased due the current debate over sequestration of C by vegetation. Therefore, an important issue of ICLS is the degree of competition or, conversely, the complementary level that exists between root development and root system activities (Gregory 2006). However, our knowledge about the mechanisms by which biomass allocation (aerial parts of the plant vs. root system) is regulated is poor (Poorter et al. 2011), mainly when considering simultaneous stresses (e.g. light and nutrients). In the present study we report the shoot:root ratio and root mass variation responses to N fertilization levels of two forage grass species growing in field situation under a tree canopy while grazed by beef heifers versus an open, treeless ICLS

When enough should be enough: Improving the use of current agricultural lands could meet production demands and spare natural habitats in Brazil

Providing food and other products to a growing human population while safeguarding natural ecosystems and the provision of their services is a significant scientific, social and political challenge. With food demand likely to double over the next four decades, anthropization is already driving climate change and is the principal force behind species extinction, among other environmental impacts. The sustainable intensification of production on current agricultural lands has been suggested as a key solution to the competition for land between agriculture and natural ecosystems. However, few investigations have shown the extent to which these lands can meet projected demands while considering biophysical constraints. Here we investigate the improved use of existing agricultural lands and present insights into avoiding future competition for land. We focus on Brazil, a country projected to experience the largest increase in agricultural production over the next four decades and the richest nation in terrestrial carbon and biodiversity. Using various models and climatic datasets, we produced the first estimate of the carrying capacity of Brazil's 115 million hectares of cultivated pasturelands. We then investigated if the improved use of cultivated pasturelands would free enough land for the expansion of meat, crops, wood and biofuel, respecting biophysical constraints (i.e., terrain, climate) and including climate change impacts. We found that the current productivity of Brazilian cultivated pasturelands is 32–34% of its potential and that increasing productivity to 49–52% of the potential would suffice to meet demands for meat, crops, wood products and biofuels until at least 2040, without further conversion of natural ecosystems. As a result up to 14.3 Gt CO2 Eq could be mitigated. The fact that the country poised to undergo the largest expansion of agricultural production over the coming decades can do so without further conversion of natural habitats provokes the question whether the same can be true in other regional contexts and, ultimately, at the global scale

Repetibilidade de características agronômicas e número de cortes necessários para seleção de Urochloa ruziziensis Agronomic traits repeatability and number of cuts needed for selecting Urochloa ruziziensis

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a repetibilidade de características agronômicas e determinar a quantidade adequada de cortes para seleção de Urochloa ruziziensis. Foram avaliadas 118 progênies de meio-irmãos de U. ruziziensis, além das cultivares Basilisk (U. decumbens), Marandu (U. brizantha), Comum (U. ruziziensis) e um acesso de Urochloa sp. como testemunhas. Utilizou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com duas repetições, parcelas de uma linha com 3,0 m e espaçamento de 1,0x0,5 m. Foram realizados sete cortes, em intervalos médios de 60 e 90 dias, nas épocas chuvosas e secas, respectivamente. Avaliaram-se: altura de planta, massa de matéria seca (MS), massa de matéria verde (MV) e percentagem de matéria seca (PMS). A repetibilidade foi estimada pelos seguintes métodos: análise de variância; componentes principais, pela matriz de covariâncias e pela matriz de correlações; e análise estrutural pela matriz de correlações. As estimativas de repetibilidade variaram de 0,31-0,38 para altura de plantas, 0,31-0,43 para MV, 0,16-0,50 para PMS, e 0,23-0,43 para MS; com coeficientes de determinação entre 57-87%. O número de cortes necessários para estimar o valor real das características variou entre 7-8 para MV e altura de plantas, e 10-14 para MS e PMS, com coeficientes de determinação igual ou superior a 80%.<br>The objective of this work was to estimate the repeatability of agronomic traits and to determine the appropriate number of cuts for selectig Urochloa ruziziensis. One hundred and eighteen progenies of half-sib U. ruziziensis and four checks, the cultivars Basilisk (U. decumbens), Marandu (U. brizantha), Comum (U. ruziziensis) and one access Urochloa sp. were evaluated. A randomized complete block with two replications and plots in a 3.0-m line with 1.0x0.5-m spacing was used. Seven cuts were made at intervals of 60 and 90 days in wet and dry seasons, respectively. The evaluated characteristics were: plant height, dry matter weight (DM), fresh matter weight (FM) and percentage of dry matter (PDM). The repeatability was estimated by analysis of variance, principal components of the covariance matrix and of the correlation matrix, and structural analysis using the correlation matrix. Repeatability estimates varied from 0.31-0.38 for plant height, 0.31-0.43 for FM, 0.16-0.50 for PDM and 0.23-0.43 for DM, with coefficients of determination between 57-87%. The number of cuts necessary to assess the actual value of the characteristics ranged between 7-8 cuts for FM and plant height, and 10-14 for DM and PDM, with coefficients of determination greater than 80%