This review summarizes the importance of enteric methane (CH4) emission in ruminants and summarizes the current state of knowledge relevant to genetic aspects on enteric methane production, highlighting future research needs and directions. Global average temperature has increased by about 0.7°C in the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2), CH4, nitrous oxide (N2O) and halocarbons, have been responsible for most of the observed tem- perature increase since the middle of the twen- tieth century. Agriculture, particularly livestock, is increasingly being recognized as both a con- tributor to the process and a potential victim of it. Policy interventions and technical solutions are required to address both the impact of live- stock production on climate change and the effects of climate change on livestock produc- tion. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), declared that in the next 50 years, the world’s farmers will be called upon to produce more food than has been produced in the past 10,000 years, and to do so in environmentally sustainable ways. Therefore, the GHG reduction should be treated as a public good. The United States con- gress is prospecting to define a price on GHG emissions. Limiting the concentration of CO2 and other GHG in Earth’s atmosphere requires a technological and economic revolution. A cost- effective way could be the genetic improvement of livestock, which produces permanent and cumulative changes in performance. Animal variation in enteric CH4 emission has been reported in the literature, providing potential for improvement through genetic selection.

Genetic aspects of enteric methane emission in ruminants livestock

MELE, MARCELLO;
2013-01-01

Abstract

This review summarizes the importance of enteric methane (CH4) emission in ruminants and summarizes the current state of knowledge relevant to genetic aspects on enteric methane production, highlighting future research needs and directions. Global average temperature has increased by about 0.7°C in the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide (CO2), CH4, nitrous oxide (N2O) and halocarbons, have been responsible for most of the observed tem- perature increase since the middle of the twen- tieth century. Agriculture, particularly livestock, is increasingly being recognized as both a con- tributor to the process and a potential victim of it. Policy interventions and technical solutions are required to address both the impact of live- stock production on climate change and the effects of climate change on livestock produc- tion. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), declared that in the next 50 years, the world’s farmers will be called upon to produce more food than has been produced in the past 10,000 years, and to do so in environmentally sustainable ways. Therefore, the GHG reduction should be treated as a public good. The United States con- gress is prospecting to define a price on GHG emissions. Limiting the concentration of CO2 and other GHG in Earth’s atmosphere requires a technological and economic revolution. A cost- effective way could be the genetic improvement of livestock, which produces permanent and cumulative changes in performance. Animal variation in enteric CH4 emission has been reported in the literature, providing potential for improvement through genetic selection.
2013
Martino, Cassandro; Mele, Marcello; Bruno, Stefanon
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/293144
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 19
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact