Effects of corn and soybean grain supplementation on performance and methane emission in llamas.

CERÓN CUCCHI M.E.; GERE J. I.; ORTIZ CHURA A.; CHAVARRIA N.; RAMOS N.; ACUÑA F.; LAMAS H.

Conferencia; 8th Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture Conference.; 2022

The South American camelid production is one of the most important activities for the socio-economic development of the high-Andean farmers. Llamas are versatile and rustic animals that have adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the Andes, and they are bred primarily for their meat and fiber. This study was aimed at determining the effects of dietary supplementation on animal performance and enteric methane (CH4) emission in young llamas (Lama glama) grazing in the Argentina highlands. The experiment was conducted at Agricultural Experimental Station of INTA Abra Pampa, Jujuy at 3500 m, using 18 animals equally divided into two groups, presenting averages of initial body weight of 68.8 kg and body condition score of 3.1 (scale 1 to 5). Animals were randomly allocated to dietary treatment: P, pasture (mainly Festuca scirpifolia “Chillagua”) and PS: P + supplementation (2% body weight, containing 80% ground corn and 20% expeller soybean) for 45 days. Drinking water was freely available. Enteric CH4 emissions were estimated using the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique (Johnson et al. 1994). The average daily gain (ADG) did not differ between dietary treatments (P>0.05). The PS diet tended (P