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Agriculture
Special Issues
Impact of Forage Quality and Grazing Management on Ruminant Nutrition
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Impact of Forage Quality and Grazing Management on Ruminant Nutrition

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2025 | Viewed by 329

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cristiana Maduro Dias

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Interests: animal nutrition; ruminant nutrition; forage; dairy science; silage; plant secondary metabolites; invasive plant species; in vitro fermentation; sustainable livestock systems; feed evaluation
Dr. Helder Nunes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Interests: animal science; forage quality; ruminant nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forage quality and grazing management are central to the productivity, health, and environmental impact of ruminant livestock systems. In the face of increasing climate variability and the need for sustainable intensification, optimizing forage supply and utilization is more important than ever.

This Special Issue aims to bring together high-quality research and reviews that explore the complex relationships between forage composition, grazing management practices, animal nutrition, and system sustainability. We highlight recent developments in forage analysis, grazing strategies, bioactive compounds in plants, and integrative approaches linking pasture-based diets to rumen microbiota and environmental performance. We welcome contributions on forage composition, grazing systems, ruminant performance, rumen function, methane emissions, forage conservation, and feed evaluation. Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged.

Dr. Cristiana Maduro Dias
Dr. Helder Nunes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal nutrition
  • ruminant nutrition
  • forage
  • dairy science
  • silage
  • plant secondary metabolites
  • invasive plant species
  • in vitro fermentation
  • methane emissions
  • sustainable livestock systems
  • feed evaluation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 20000 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Potential Mechanism of Methane Mitigation in Seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis via 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and LC/MS-Based Metabolomics
by Yi Sun, Shuai Li, Tongjun Guo, Xiong Tong, Zhifei Zhang, Yufeng Yang, Qing Wang, Dagang Li and Li Min
Agriculture 2025, 15(16), 1768; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15161768 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 31
Abstract
Methane (CH4), originating from ruminants, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture industry. This study aimed to determine the potential of red seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis (G. lemaneiformis) as an anti-methanogenic feed additive for cattle. Three [...] Read more.
Methane (CH4), originating from ruminants, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture industry. This study aimed to determine the potential of red seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis (G. lemaneiformis) as an anti-methanogenic feed additive for cattle. Three supplementation levels of seaweed (2%, 5%, and 10% of dry matter) were evaluated for their effects on gas production and rumen fermentation characteristics during 48 h in vitro fermentation. The results revealed a significant decrease in total gas production (TGP), CO2, CH4, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, with no differences in pH or dry matter disappearance (DMD). Notably, compared with the control group without seaweed, supplementation with 2% G. lemaneiformis effectively reduces CH4 emissions by 27.5% (p < 0.05). Supplementation with 2% G. lemaneiformis decreased the abundance of methanogens g_norank_f_Methanomethylophilaceae, responsible for CH4 generation, and increased the populations of bacteria (Kandleria and Succinivibrio) that compete with methanogens for substrates. Furthermore, upregulating the levels of 13(S)-HOTrE and 9(S)-HOTrE (polyunsaturated fatty acids) could inhibit methanogenic activity. Additionally, lower VFA concentrations will provide less raw materials for methane synthesis, thus further inhibiting methanogenesis. In summary, G. lemaneiformis, as a red seaweed with important economic value, can not only be applied to enhance marine carbon sinks but can also serve as a promising candidate for mitigating biomethane emissions in cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Forage Quality and Grazing Management on Ruminant Nutrition)
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