Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025

Globally, ruminant livestock populations surpass one billion, relying largely on approximately 100 million hectares of Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) and Megathyrsus (syn. Panicum) forages across tropical regions. These forages are vital to livestock production systems but are also responsible for more...

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Main Authors: Barbosa, Norma, Garzon, Maria Jose
Format: Informe técnico
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180075
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author Barbosa, Norma
Garzon, Maria Jose
author_browse Barbosa, Norma
Garzon, Maria Jose
author_facet Barbosa, Norma
Garzon, Maria Jose
author_sort Barbosa, Norma
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Globally, ruminant livestock populations surpass one billion, relying largely on approximately 100 million hectares of Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) and Megathyrsus (syn. Panicum) forages across tropical regions. These forages are vital to livestock production systems but are also responsible for more than 16% of total anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions (Mwendia et al., 2021). At CIAT, the Forage Breeding Program targets three main grass species—Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass), Urochloa humidicola, and interspecific Urochloa hybrids (U. ruziziensis × U. brizantha × U. decumbens). Within the Low-Methane Forages (LMF) project, elite breeding lines are under evaluation for their potential to mitigate methane emissions, building upon previous selection for traits such as tolerance to acidic with low nutrient soils, resistance to spittlebugs (Homoptera: Cercopidae), high biomass production, and resilience under abiotic stress conditions. In this sense, the objectives of this study was find promising genotypes from the Urochloa and Megathyrsus breeding programs to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock with high True Digested Dry Matter (TDDM), lower CH4 intensity (ml/g TDDM), and high biomass yield. Introduce traits (CH₄ intensity and TDDM) that will reduce enteric CH₄ production into widely used forage-grass cultivars through conventional breeding methods. Based on this premise, for 2024-2025 this study starts to evaluate 50 genotypes of Megathyrsus maximus grasses, 50 Urochloa humidicola and 50 of Urochloa interspecific hybrids.
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spelling CGSpace1800752026-01-20T02:00:42Z Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025 Barbosa, Norma Garzon, Maria Jose forage feed grasses greenhouse gas emissions dry matter mitigación mitigation forraje enteric methane calidad del alimento breeding lines metano entérico ruminants digestibility rumiante gramínea forrajera feed quality methane fermentation emisión de metano materia seca digestión ruminal Globally, ruminant livestock populations surpass one billion, relying largely on approximately 100 million hectares of Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) and Megathyrsus (syn. Panicum) forages across tropical regions. These forages are vital to livestock production systems but are also responsible for more than 16% of total anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions (Mwendia et al., 2021). At CIAT, the Forage Breeding Program targets three main grass species—Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass), Urochloa humidicola, and interspecific Urochloa hybrids (U. ruziziensis × U. brizantha × U. decumbens). Within the Low-Methane Forages (LMF) project, elite breeding lines are under evaluation for their potential to mitigate methane emissions, building upon previous selection for traits such as tolerance to acidic with low nutrient soils, resistance to spittlebugs (Homoptera: Cercopidae), high biomass production, and resilience under abiotic stress conditions. In this sense, the objectives of this study was find promising genotypes from the Urochloa and Megathyrsus breeding programs to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from livestock with high True Digested Dry Matter (TDDM), lower CH4 intensity (ml/g TDDM), and high biomass yield. Introduce traits (CH₄ intensity and TDDM) that will reduce enteric CH₄ production into widely used forage-grass cultivars through conventional breeding methods. Based on this premise, for 2024-2025 this study starts to evaluate 50 genotypes of Megathyrsus maximus grasses, 50 Urochloa humidicola and 50 of Urochloa interspecific hybrids. 2025-10 2026-01-19T08:07:33Z 2026-01-19T08:07:33Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180075 en Open Access application/pdf Barbosa, N.; Garzon, M.J. (2025) Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025. Activity Report. 8 p.
spellingShingle forage
feed grasses
greenhouse gas emissions
dry matter
mitigación
mitigation
forraje
enteric methane
calidad del alimento
breeding lines
metano entérico
ruminants
digestibility
rumiante
gramínea forrajera
feed quality
methane fermentation
emisión de metano
materia seca
digestión ruminal
Barbosa, Norma
Garzon, Maria Jose
Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title_full Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title_fullStr Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title_full_unstemmed Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title_short Low-methane forages project work package 2. Breeding grasses program 2024-2025
title_sort low methane forages project work package 2 breeding grasses program 2024 2025
topic forage
feed grasses
greenhouse gas emissions
dry matter
mitigación
mitigation
forraje
enteric methane
calidad del alimento
breeding lines
metano entérico
ruminants
digestibility
rumiante
gramínea forrajera
feed quality
methane fermentation
emisión de metano
materia seca
digestión ruminal
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180075
work_keys_str_mv AT barbosanorma lowmethaneforagesprojectworkpackage2breedinggrassesprogram20242025
AT garzonmariajose lowmethaneforagesprojectworkpackage2breedinggrassesprogram20242025