Resumo

CARMONA, Juan C; BOLIVAR, Diana M  e  GIRALDO, Luis A. The gas methane in the cattle production and alternative to measure its emissions and to lessen its impact at environmental and productive level. Rev Colom Cienc Pecua [online]. 2005, vol.18, n.1, pp.49-63. ISSN 0120-0690.

The ruminants are great contributors to the global heating and deterioration of the ozone layer, by the liberation of high amounts of gases to the atmosphere, among them, the carbon dioxide gas and the methane. The methane produced in rumen is generated mainly by fermentative processes of the food that enters to rumen. The main biotic factor at level of rumen in the methane production are the metanogenic anaerobic bacteria. These bacterias use different substrates for the methane production, but the main ones are the H₂ and the CO₂. The elimination of these gases, mainly of the H₂ implies the removal of a factor implied in the stability of pH ruminal being this essential for an optimal fermentation. But at the same way this methane production is considered like a loss of potentially usable energy. The effects of the metanogenic bacteria are employees mainly of the present substrates in the diet and of the interactions with other populations. Interventions in the feeding offered to the animals, oriented towards optimizing the process of ruminal fermentation, repel generally in an improvement of the productive and reproductive parameters, had, among other aspects, to one better use of the energy. In addition, the diminution of the emissions to the atmosphere receives great importance in the protection of the environment. The diverse evidences show that the rate of methane emission by ruminal fermentation, is related to the characteristics physical-chemistries of the diet, which affect the level of consumption and the frequency of feeding. By this the subnutrition contributes to increase the methane emissions. The possibility of limiting the methane emissions by the cattle in tropical production systems, provides economic and environmental benefits. A reduction option consists of the substitution of conventional technologies by new concomitants alternatives with a suitable production and minimums environmental effects. Within these alternatives of potential use in tropic it is the handling of pastures, tending towards improving his quality. An alternative of wide potential and that until the moment has taken force by its multiple benefits are the silvopastoral systems, but little has investigated its effect on the ruminal methane production. For the determination of emissions and the efficiency of the implemented alternatives, one is due to resort to appropriate methodologies that allows to extrapolate the results to the real conditions in alive. Within these alternatives, the system in vitro RUSITEC, has presented a high correlation with the own characteristics of the animal. The objective of this revision is to visualize different factors that determine the methane emissions, measurement alternatives and options to diminish the production of this gas in the cattle systems, for the sake of a more efficient production and than it protects the environment.

Palavras-chave : greenhouse effect; methane generation; ruminants; rusitec; silvopastoral system.

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