Relationship between Reticulorumen Parameters Measured in Real Time and Methane Emission and Heat Stress Risk in Dairy Cows.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate a connection between CH4 emissions and reticulorumen pH and temperature. During the experiment, we registered the following parameters: reticulorumen pH (pH), reticulorumen temperature (RR temp.), reticulorumen temperature without drinking cycles, ambient temperature, ambient relative humidity, cow activity, heat index, temperature-humidity index (THI), and methane emissions (CH4). The experimental animals were divided into two groups based on the reticulorumen pH: 1. pH < 6.22 and 2. pH 6.22-6.42. We found that cows assigned to the second pH class had higher (46.18%) average values for methane emissions (p < 0.01). For the other indicators, higher average values were detected in cows of the first pH class, RR temperature (2.80%), relative humidity (20.96%), temperature-humidity index (2.47%) (p < 0.01), and temperature (3.93%) (p < 0.05), which were higher compared to cows of the second pH class. Reticulorumen pH was highly negatively correlated with THI and temperature (r = -0.667 to 0.717, p < 0.001) and somewhat negatively with heat index, relative humidity, and RR temperature (r = -0.536, p < 0.001; r = -0.471 to 0.456, p < 0.01). Cows with a higher risk of heat stress had a higher risk of lower reticulorumen pH.