title: Effect of combined herbal feed additives on methane, total gas production and rumen fermentation.
abstract: The present study was to evaluate effect of herbal feed additives on methane and total gas production during the rumen fermentation for environment and animal health concern. Different parts of the five medicinal plants were selected such as leaf and small stems of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), roots of Curcuma longa (Haldi), fruits of Emblica officinalis (Amla), leaves of Azadirachta indica (Neem) and leaves and small stem of Clerodendrum phlomidis (Arni) for our study. Addition of different herbal additive combinations did not influence IVDMD and total gas production however methane production (mg/g of substrate DM) was significantly (P<0.05) reduced in Amla: Neem and Neem: Arni combinations. Total nitrogen significantly (P<0.01) increased in the combinations of Tulsi: Haldi and Amla: Neem. TCA-ppt-N is significantly (P<0.01) increased in Tulsi: Haldi, Haldi: Amla, Amla: Neem and Neem: Arni however NH3-N (mg/dl) significantly decreased in all treatments. We conclude that the screening of plant combinations, Amla: Neem and Neem: Arni have potential to decrease methane production and our herbal feed supplements have no side-effects on the ruminant in small amount.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition, Central Institute for Research on Goats, Makhdoom, P.O. Farah, Mathura-281 122, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Indu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.affiliation: Principal Scientist and Head, National Dairy Research Institute, ERS, Kalyani-741 235, Dist.-Nadia, (West Bengal), Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Tapas Kumar
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy science, Raja Balwant Singh College (R.B.S. College), Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Pawan Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Indian Science and Technology Foundation (ISTF), C-1/31, Yamuna Vihar, New Delhi-110053, India.
authors.forename: Ashwani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
keywords: Herbal feed additives; Medicinal plants; Methane; Rumen fermentation; Total gas