Laura Bibiana Gualdrón-Duarte

This study evaluated the effects of alpaca variety (Huacaya vs. Suri) and period on physiological parameters and stress indicators in late pregnancy, grazed on high-altitude cultivated pastures in Cusco, Peru (4,141 m.a.s.l). Eight Huacaya and six Suri alpacas were monitored in two experimental periods Transition (gestation months 8‒9) and Wet (gestation months 10–11), this last coinciding with the beginning of the rainy season. Data were analysed using a repeated measures model and Pearson correlations were established among selected variables. Regardless of variety, alpacas lost liveweight during the Transition period despite increased feed intake. Suri females displayed lower body temperatures (36.1 vs. 37.5 °C), and heart rates (60 vs. 65 beats/min) compared to Huacaya. No differences were associated either with variety or period in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or cortisol in blood serum. The albumin-to-globulin ratio was lower in Suris and increased in Wet period. Differences in pasture crude protein contents between periods may explain increases blood urea nitrogen (BUN; + 1.25 mg/dL) in Wet period, whereas creatinine (CREA) was responsive to both variety and period. Distinct stress responses in Huacaya and Suri alpacas were evidenced by cortisol–ACTH correlations. Huacaya exhibit a stable hormonal feedback loop, whereas Suri are more influenced by period. Both alpaca varieties displayed unexpected negative cortisol–glucose correlations and differed in cortisol–protein metabolism associations. Despite physiological differences, kidney function remained consistent for both varieties. These findings highlight unique metabolic adaptations in alpacas and underscore the need for further research.

While livestock production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, it remains vital for fulfilling the growing global demand for animal protein. Including by-products in ruminant diets can enhance food circularity and reduce competition for human food, while also increasing the likelihood of reducing methane (CH₄) emissions. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of fully replacing corn grain and urea in the control diet with local by-products, specifically corn distillers’ grains combined with either barley brewed grains or with wheat middlings, on enteric CH₄ emissions and performance of sheep. Diets were balanced to be isoproteic and isoenergetic with 2.6 Mcal ME/kg of dry matter (DM) and 160 g crude protein/kg DM, respectively. Corn silage is the only source of forage in the diet, and the forage-to-concentrate ratio was maintained to 60:40 on a DM basis. Twelve Highlander female sheep of 35.9 ± 3.12 kg initial body weight (BW, mean ± standard deviation), were used in a Completely Randomized Block design, with four sheep per treatment and two measurement periods under the same treatment. Experiment lasted 60 d, 30 d acclimatization and 30 d measurements. Dry matter intake (DMI) was restricted to 2.5% of BW. Enteric CH₄ emissions of individual sheep were quantified in respiration chambers over a 48 h period. Dietary treatments did not have a significant effect either on DMI or BW gain. The diet containing barley brewed grains significantly reduced total daily CH₄ production by 22.3%, CH₄ emissions per kg of DMI by 34% and energy loss as CH₄ by 38% compared to the control diet. In conclusion, the agro-industrial by-products combinations evaluated in this study effectively replaced corn grain and urea without compromising feed intake or animal performance. Additionally, the diet containing barley brewed grains significantly reduced CH₄ yield, and energy loss compared to the control diet.

Including soybean hulls (SH) in ruminant diets increase the carbon circularity of livestock systems. We evaluated whether SH could partially replace corn grain (CG) in the diet of lactating cows (≈7.5% of the total diet). Six Holstein multiparous cows were fed a 50:50 (dry matter basis) corn-silage to concentrate diet for two 25-day periods in three replicated 2 × 2 Latin Squares using linear mixed models. Feed intake, milk yield and composition, N excretion, CH₄ production, and ruminal microbial profiles were measured. Enteric CH₄ was measured in respiration chambers. The DMI of cows fed SH (28 kg DM/d) was greater (p = 0.034) than those fed CG (26 kg DM/d), but no differences were observed in milk production (p = 0.557) or enteric CH₄ emission intensity (g/kg milk, p = 0.387). Enteric CH₄ emissions tended to be greater in SH-fed cows (484 g/d) than CG-fed cows (456 g/d; p = 0.075), and N excretion was significantly greater in SH than CG cows (p < 0.001). No mayor shifts in ruminal microbiota or overall ruminal environment were observed. In conclusion, SH can partially replace CG in diets of lactating dairy cows without affecting production, but potential negative environmental impacts should be considered.

The SF ₆ gas tracer technique is extensively used to measure enteric CH ₄ emissions for scientific research in Latin‐American countries. Although guidelines on how to properly implement this technique have been published, its use has been the subject of considerable uncertainty due to a high variation within measurements when compared to results obtained with other techniques. Therefore, a detailed evaluation of this technique is important to identify the main sources of variability. The aim of this study is to summarise the key factors contributing to this variation, as reported in studies conducted in Latin America (LA). The final dataset comprised 63 studies and the variables considered within our analysis were split into two main categories: (1) Production systems and animal‐related factors driving enteric CH ₄ emissions and (2) Aspects related to the implementation of the SF ₆ gas tracer technique in research laboratories, such as: duration of the collection period, and mean permeation rate of the SF ₆ collection canisters, among others. The lack of specific details regarding the SF ₆ gas tracer technique in the compiled dataset from LA studies is notable. Despite this, the main sources of variation identified were related to both the duration of the sampling period and the SF ₆ permeation rate.

Digestibility and intake are parameters difficult and expensive to estimate under grazing conditions; therefore, the aim of this study was to develop near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations applied to feces (F-NIRS) and evaluate their accuracy to predict dry matter digestibility (DMD) and dry matter intake (DMI) of Colombian creole cattle. Five digestibility trials using creole steers were conducted; indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) was used as internal marker and Cr₂O₃ and TiO₂ as external markers. A total of 249 forage and 396 fecal samples from individual animals were collected, dried, and grinded for conventional chemical analysis. For spectral analysis, fecal samples were pooled across collection periods (77 samples). Chemometric analysis was performed using WinISI V4.10 software applying the modified partial least squares method. Cross-validation was performed to avoid overfitting the models. The goodness-of-fit statistics considered were the coefficient of determination in cross-validation and prediction sets (R²cv and r², respectively) and the ratio performance deviation (RPD). Fecal NIRS calibrations developed for forage and supplement DMD showed a satisfactory fit (R²cv =0.87 and RPD=2.77 and R²cv=0.92 and RPD=3.50, respectively). The accuracy of fecal output equations using chromium (Cr) and titanium (Ti) was similar in terms of R²cv (0.92) and RPD (3.63 vs. 3.57). Total DMI equations using Ti performed better compared to Cr (R²cv = 0.82 vs. 0.78; RPD=2.41 vs. 2.17, respectively). The F-NIRS models were validated using a completely independent set of fecal samples showing a moderate fit (r²>0.8 and RPD>2.0). This study showed that F-NIRS is a feasible tool to predict DMD and DMI of creole steers under grazing conditions. However, previous to socialization, this requires an improvement in accuracy of the calibrated equations related to grazing animals in different production contexts.