Effect of soya bean oil supplementation and forage type on methane production and fibre digestibility using the invitro gas production system

We aimed to evaluate the effect of soya bean oil (SBO) supplementation with different forages on invitro gas production kinetics, methane (CH4) emissions and potentially digestible neutral detergent fibre (pdNDF) digestibility (IVpdNDFD). Samples of whole-crop maize silage (MS; Zea mays), sugarcane (SC; Saccharum sp.), perennial ryegrass (RG; Lolium perenne), guinea grass (GG; Panicum maximum) and palisadegrass (PG; Brachiaria brizantha) were incubated with three concentrations of SBO (0, 30 and 60 g/kg of dry matter). The interaction between forage species and SBO inclusion affected molar proportion of acetate, acetate-to-propionate ratio, asymptotic gas and IVpdNDFD. Acetate-to-propionate ratio numerically decreased from 3.56 to 3.44 and 3.77 to 3.56 for MS and SC respectively. Soya bean oil inclusion at 60 g/kg DM decreased 21.2% and 12.9% of IVpdNDFD for MS and SC respectively. Soya bean oil increase did not affect IVpdNDFD for RG, GG and PG. Soya bean oil inclusion decreased quadratically the asymptotic gas (294-265 ml/g OM) for MS and increased linearly (275-283 ml/g OM) for GG. Lower and greater CH4 production was observed for RG and SC respectively. Methane production decreased quadratically by SBO increase. Soya bean oil inclusion linearly decreased CH4 concentration in total gas at 48 hr of incubation from 133 to 128 ml/L. In conclusion, MS and SC are more sensitive to adverse effects of SBO supplementation from 30 to 60 g/kg DM on rumen fermentation when compared to RG, GG and PG.