METHANE PRODUCTION IN DAIRY-COWS

The relationship among diet composition, intake and methane production was investigated with data during 404 total energy balance trials with Holstein cows. Methane production in all trials was measured in open circuit respiration chambers. The most useful predictor of total methane production was amounts of soluble residue, hemicellulose and cellulose that apparently were digested. The regression was methane (Mcal) = .439 + .273 .+-. .015 kg digestible soluble residue + .512 .+-. .078 kg digestible hemicellulose + 1.393 .+-. .097 kg digestible cellulose. [The systematic use of metabolizable energy to describe the energy of ruminant diets depends on the measurement of methane production].