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Data Protection Declaration
Imprint
Quantification of bovine methane emission using the fecal biomarker archaeol (MethanA)
Project
Project code: 2812NA003
Contract period: 01.11.2013
- 31.10.2016
Budget: 124,085 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Archaeol is a cell membranelipid of methanogenic Archaea, and an interesting biomarker for methanogenesis. The objective of MethanA is to measure archaeol concentration in bovine faeces and study the relationship between concentration of faecal archaeol and CH4 production in dairy cows. Subsequently, the use of faecal archaeol concentration as a selection criterion for future breeding programs aiming to reduce the environmental impact of milk production systems will be investigated. After establishing of archaeol analysis procedures in the lab, faecal samples from previous studies will be analysed. The phenotypic correlation between archaeol concentration and CH4 output will be estimated and the effect of both, lactation number and diet, on this relationship will be studied. Next, further faecal samples taken at the dairy research farm Karkendamm will be analysed and data will be used to explore variation in archaeol concentration across lactation. Factors influencing faecal archaeol concentration will be identified and the use of archaeol as a biomarker for CH4 production will be evaluated.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Climate Change
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
