Journal article
Production of N2 and N2O from nitrate ingested by sheep
Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, pp.1-7
2017
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Source: InCites
Abstract
<p>Supplementing ruminants with nitrate (NO− 3 ) reduces their enteric methane (CH4) emissions; however, the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation achieved can be partially offset by small emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a more potent GHG. Sheep were dosed intraruminally with 15NO− 3 to investigate whether dietary NO− 3 is a precursor of N2O and/or di-nitrogen gas (N2), and to quantify the amounts of NO− 3 recovered as N2O and N2 in gas emissions from sheep adapted or not adapted to dietary NO− 3. Ruminally cannulated sheep were adapted to a hay diet supplemented withNO− 3 (n = 3; 10 g NO− 3/kg DM) or urea (n = 3; 5.3 g urea/kg DM). On the day of the experiment all sheep were dosed intraruminally with 15NO− 3 and quickly moved into gas-tight chambers to enable recovery of 15N in N2O and N2 to be measured. Measurements of gases accumulating in the chambers were made over 10 successive 50 min periods; this enabled the amount of N2O produced, and the recovery of 15NO− 3-N in N2O and N2 to be determined over a total of 10 hr. Only 0.04% of labelled NO− 3-N was recovered as N2O, and this was not dependent (p > .05) on whether or not the animals had been adapted to dietaryNO− 3. Approximatively 3% of 15NO− 3-N was recovered as 15N2, which was also not dependent (p > .05) on whether sheep had been adapted toNO− 3. Because the kinetics of rumen ammonia (NH3) were uncertain, the recovery of 15N from NO− 3 in rumen NH3 could not accurately be quantified, but our results suggest that approximately 76% of dietaryNO− 3 was converted to NH3 in the rumen. We conclude that the small amount of NO− 3 recovered in N2 was evidence of denitrification, previously thought not to occur in the rumen.</p>
Details
- Title
- Production of N2 and N2O from nitrate ingested by sheep
- Creators
- V de Raphélis-Soissan - University of New EnglandJ V Nolan - University of New EnglandI R Godwin - University of New EnglandJ R Newbold - Cargill Animal Nutrition, The NetherlandsBradley D Eyre - Southern Cross UniversityDirk V Erler - Southern Cross UniversityR S Hegarty - University of New England
- Publication Details
- Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, pp.1-7
- Identifiers
- 4312; 991012822151102368
- Academic Unit
- Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry; Faculty of Science and Engineering; School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Science
- Resource Type
- Journal article