Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity

Autores
Loza, Cecilia; Chilibroste, Pablo; Menegazzi, Gabriel; Gil-Zibil, Lucía; Dorao, Carolina; Carriquiry, Mariana; Ortega, Gastón; Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza; Gere, José Ignacio
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Meeting the growing demand for high-quality animal protein while minimising environmental impact is a major challenge for dairy systems. In Uruguay, where livestock production accounts for roughly 73% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from enteric methane (CH4), pasture-based dairy systems must adapt to align with sustainability goals. This study evaluated whether two pasture-based dairy systems with contrasting intensification strategies could maintain low CH4 emissions while sustaining productive efficiency. A low-input, operationally simple system (OS) with a stocking rate of 1.8 livestock units per hectare (LU/ha) was compared with a higher-input, productivity-oriented system (HP) at 3.0 LU/ha. Both systems were based on perennial pastures of similar botanical composition and managed under structured rotational grazing. Enteric CH4 emissions were measured during winter and spring 2023 in 24 Holstein and Holstein × Jersey cows (12 per system), using the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas-tracer technique. Milk yield and diet composition were also evaluated. Despite the higher stocking rate (SR) and greater annual milk yield in the HP system (10 106 vs 7 262 kg of milk per hectare), daily methane emissions per cow (280 g CH4/cow per day) and CH4 emission intensity corrected per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) were similar between systems (11 g CH4/kg FPCM, on average). However, CH4 emissions per hectare were higher in the HP system (9.1 vs 6.8 kg CH4/ha per day), reflecting the impact of the higher SR on total emissions. When compared with values commonly reported for pasture-based dairy systems (10 – 21 g CH4/kg FPCM), both systems were at the lower end of this range for CH4 intensity. These findings suggest that well-managed pasture-based dairy systems can sustain different intensification strategies without compromising environmental performance. However, continued efforts are needed to improve resource use efficiency and further reduce total greenhouse gas emissions.
Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria
Fil: Loza, Cecilia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Chilibroste, Pablo. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Menegazzi, Gabriel. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Gil-Zibil, Lucía. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Dorao, Carolina. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Carriquiry, Mariana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Ortega, Gastón. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; Argentina
Fil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Gere, José Ignacio. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo de las Ingenierías; Argentina
Fuente
Animal - Open Space 5 : 100125. (December 2026)
Materia
Gases de Efecto Invernadero
Emisión de Metano
Pastizales
Sostenibilidad
Ganado de Leche
Uruguay
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Methane Emission
Pastures
Sustainability
Dairy Cattle
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/27830
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oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/27830
network_acronym_str INTADig
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network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivityLoza, CeciliaChilibroste, PabloMenegazzi, GabrielGil-Zibil, LucíaDorao, CarolinaCarriquiry, MarianaOrtega, GastónCeron Cucchi, Maria EsperanzaGere, José IgnacioGases de Efecto InvernaderoEmisión de MetanoPastizalesSostenibilidadGanado de LecheUruguayGreenhouse Gas EmissionsMethane EmissionPasturesSustainabilityDairy CattleMeeting the growing demand for high-quality animal protein while minimising environmental impact is a major challenge for dairy systems. In Uruguay, where livestock production accounts for roughly 73% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from enteric methane (CH4), pasture-based dairy systems must adapt to align with sustainability goals. This study evaluated whether two pasture-based dairy systems with contrasting intensification strategies could maintain low CH4 emissions while sustaining productive efficiency. A low-input, operationally simple system (OS) with a stocking rate of 1.8 livestock units per hectare (LU/ha) was compared with a higher-input, productivity-oriented system (HP) at 3.0 LU/ha. Both systems were based on perennial pastures of similar botanical composition and managed under structured rotational grazing. Enteric CH4 emissions were measured during winter and spring 2023 in 24 Holstein and Holstein × Jersey cows (12 per system), using the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas-tracer technique. Milk yield and diet composition were also evaluated. Despite the higher stocking rate (SR) and greater annual milk yield in the HP system (10 106 vs 7 262 kg of milk per hectare), daily methane emissions per cow (280 g CH4/cow per day) and CH4 emission intensity corrected per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) were similar between systems (11 g CH4/kg FPCM, on average). However, CH4 emissions per hectare were higher in the HP system (9.1 vs 6.8 kg CH4/ha per day), reflecting the impact of the higher SR on total emissions. When compared with values commonly reported for pasture-based dairy systems (10 – 21 g CH4/kg FPCM), both systems were at the lower end of this range for CH4 intensity. These findings suggest that well-managed pasture-based dairy systems can sustain different intensification strategies without compromising environmental performance. However, continued efforts are needed to improve resource use efficiency and further reduce total greenhouse gas emissions.Instituto de Patobiología VeterinariaFil: Loza, Cecilia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Chilibroste, Pablo. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Menegazzi, Gabriel. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Gil-Zibil, Lucía. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Dorao, Carolina. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Carriquiry, Mariana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Ortega, Gastón. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; UruguayFil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gere, José Ignacio. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo de las Ingenierías; ArgentinaElsevier2026-09-17T11:32:11Z2026-09-17T11:32:11Z2026-12info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27830https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S27726940250003422772-6940https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2025.100125Animal - Open Space 5 : 100125. (December 2026)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología AgropecuariaengUruguay .......... (nation) (World, South America)1000058info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2026-09-24T11:43:50Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/27830instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2026-09-24 11:43:51.482INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
title Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
spellingShingle Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
Loza, Cecilia
Gases de Efecto Invernadero
Emisión de Metano
Pastizales
Sostenibilidad
Ganado de Leche
Uruguay
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Methane Emission
Pastures
Sustainability
Dairy Cattle
title_short Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
title_full Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
title_fullStr Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
title_full_unstemmed Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
title_sort Methane emissions in pasture-based systems with contrasting intensification strategies in Uruguay in two periods: operational simplicity vs maximised productivity
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Loza, Cecilia
Chilibroste, Pablo
Menegazzi, Gabriel
Gil-Zibil, Lucía
Dorao, Carolina
Carriquiry, Mariana
Ortega, Gastón
Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza
Gere, José Ignacio
author Loza, Cecilia
author_facet Loza, Cecilia
Chilibroste, Pablo
Menegazzi, Gabriel
Gil-Zibil, Lucía
Dorao, Carolina
Carriquiry, Mariana
Ortega, Gastón
Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza
Gere, José Ignacio
author_role author
author2 Chilibroste, Pablo
Menegazzi, Gabriel
Gil-Zibil, Lucía
Dorao, Carolina
Carriquiry, Mariana
Ortega, Gastón
Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza
Gere, José Ignacio
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Gases de Efecto Invernadero
Emisión de Metano
Pastizales
Sostenibilidad
Ganado de Leche
Uruguay
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Methane Emission
Pastures
Sustainability
Dairy Cattle
topic Gases de Efecto Invernadero
Emisión de Metano
Pastizales
Sostenibilidad
Ganado de Leche
Uruguay
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Methane Emission
Pastures
Sustainability
Dairy Cattle
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Meeting the growing demand for high-quality animal protein while minimising environmental impact is a major challenge for dairy systems. In Uruguay, where livestock production accounts for roughly 73% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from enteric methane (CH4), pasture-based dairy systems must adapt to align with sustainability goals. This study evaluated whether two pasture-based dairy systems with contrasting intensification strategies could maintain low CH4 emissions while sustaining productive efficiency. A low-input, operationally simple system (OS) with a stocking rate of 1.8 livestock units per hectare (LU/ha) was compared with a higher-input, productivity-oriented system (HP) at 3.0 LU/ha. Both systems were based on perennial pastures of similar botanical composition and managed under structured rotational grazing. Enteric CH4 emissions were measured during winter and spring 2023 in 24 Holstein and Holstein × Jersey cows (12 per system), using the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas-tracer technique. Milk yield and diet composition were also evaluated. Despite the higher stocking rate (SR) and greater annual milk yield in the HP system (10 106 vs 7 262 kg of milk per hectare), daily methane emissions per cow (280 g CH4/cow per day) and CH4 emission intensity corrected per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) were similar between systems (11 g CH4/kg FPCM, on average). However, CH4 emissions per hectare were higher in the HP system (9.1 vs 6.8 kg CH4/ha per day), reflecting the impact of the higher SR on total emissions. When compared with values commonly reported for pasture-based dairy systems (10 – 21 g CH4/kg FPCM), both systems were at the lower end of this range for CH4 intensity. These findings suggest that well-managed pasture-based dairy systems can sustain different intensification strategies without compromising environmental performance. However, continued efforts are needed to improve resource use efficiency and further reduce total greenhouse gas emissions.
Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria
Fil: Loza, Cecilia. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Chilibroste, Pablo. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Menegazzi, Gabriel. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Gil-Zibil, Lucía. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Dorao, Carolina. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Carriquiry, Mariana. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Ortega, Gastón. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas; Uruguay
Fil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; Argentina
Fil: Ceron Cucchi, Maria Esperanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Gere, José Ignacio. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Buenos Aires. Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo de las Ingenierías; Argentina
description Meeting the growing demand for high-quality animal protein while minimising environmental impact is a major challenge for dairy systems. In Uruguay, where livestock production accounts for roughly 73% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mainly from enteric methane (CH4), pasture-based dairy systems must adapt to align with sustainability goals. This study evaluated whether two pasture-based dairy systems with contrasting intensification strategies could maintain low CH4 emissions while sustaining productive efficiency. A low-input, operationally simple system (OS) with a stocking rate of 1.8 livestock units per hectare (LU/ha) was compared with a higher-input, productivity-oriented system (HP) at 3.0 LU/ha. Both systems were based on perennial pastures of similar botanical composition and managed under structured rotational grazing. Enteric CH4 emissions were measured during winter and spring 2023 in 24 Holstein and Holstein × Jersey cows (12 per system), using the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas-tracer technique. Milk yield and diet composition were also evaluated. Despite the higher stocking rate (SR) and greater annual milk yield in the HP system (10 106 vs 7 262 kg of milk per hectare), daily methane emissions per cow (280 g CH4/cow per day) and CH4 emission intensity corrected per kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) were similar between systems (11 g CH4/kg FPCM, on average). However, CH4 emissions per hectare were higher in the HP system (9.1 vs 6.8 kg CH4/ha per day), reflecting the impact of the higher SR on total emissions. When compared with values commonly reported for pasture-based dairy systems (10 – 21 g CH4/kg FPCM), both systems were at the lower end of this range for CH4 intensity. These findings suggest that well-managed pasture-based dairy systems can sustain different intensification strategies without compromising environmental performance. However, continued efforts are needed to improve resource use efficiency and further reduce total greenhouse gas emissions.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-09-17T11:32:11Z
2026-09-17T11:32:11Z
2026-12
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27830
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694025000342
2772-6940
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2025.100125
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/27830
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694025000342
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2025.100125
identifier_str_mv 2772-6940
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.coverage.none.fl_str_mv Uruguay .......... (nation) (World, South America)
1000058
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Animal - Open Space 5 : 100125. (December 2026)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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