{"id":3811,"date":"2024-12-02T07:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T07:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2024-12-20T12:03:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T12:03:53","slug":"genome-editing-strategy-could-cut-methane-emissions-in-cattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/genome-editing-strategy-could-cut-methane-emissions-in-cattle\/","title":{"rendered":"Genome editing strategy could cut methane emissions in cattle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Using genome editing technology to target methane-producing microbes in the digestive systems of cattle could be a powerful tool in reducing the livestock sector\u2019s environmental footprint, say scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers say converting microbes to produce acetate \u2014 a short-chain fatty acid \u2014 instead of methane will help curb emissions whilst maintaining livestock productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift could be crucial for producers striving to meet climate goals without sacrificing herd sizes or productivity levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Livestock, particularly cattle, are major sources of methane emissions due to microbial fermentation that takes place in the rumen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous suggestions have included reducing livestock numbers to curb emissions, researchers in Nigeria said such measures fail to address the microbial source of the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a review analysing the most promising strategies<\/a> for mitigating methane emissions in ruminants, the researchers said: \u201cEliminating or reducing livestock production is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, biotech solutions targeting rumen microbes are likely more effective, scalable, and timely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By focusing on CRISPR gene-editing, which scientists to modify specific genes, the main methane-producing microbe in cattle (Methanobrevibacter ruminantium<\/em>) can be edited to establish acetogenesis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this process hydrogen, a byproduct of fermentation in the rumen, is changed into producing acetate rather than methane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as being a potential solution for livestock producers, the report\u2019s authors said the technique could also be scaled to other methane-creating systems, such as rice paddies and wetlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-lasting solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite gene-editing\u2019s promise in reducing methane, the scientists said some challenges remain in field applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Past interventions, such as dietary modifications and breeding for low-methane animals, showed only limited success, especially in grazing systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile dietary changes and chemical inhibitors have shown some success, their impact is often temporary or unsustainable in grazing environments,\u201d they wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRISPR\u2019s genetic approach, on the other hand, could offer a long-lasting solution directly within the microbial ecosystem of the rumen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For livestock producers, the strategy presents a potential win-win: it could enable farms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without cutting animal numbers or sacrificing productivity, they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given methane\u2019s short atmospheric lifespan of 10-12 years, lowering methane emissions can yield quicker climate benefits compared to focusing solely on carbon dioxide reduction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMethane is ripe for intervention; focusing on biotechnological solutions that target rumen microbes may offer a pervasive avenue for reducing global methane emissions,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChanneling [hydrogen] to acetogenesis can be a remedy to rumen methane production and provide a pervasive avenue for addressing global methane emission beyond the rumen ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Using genome editing technology to target methane-producing microbes in the digestive systems of cattle could be a powerful tool in reducing the livestock sector\u2019s environmental footprint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[85,843,842,88,844,619],"other-categories":[218],"class_list":["post-3811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genetics","category-livestock-genetics","tag-crispr","tag-emissions","tag-genome-editing","tag-livestock","tag-methane","tag-ruminants","other-categories-editors-pick"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3812,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions\/3812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3811"},{"taxonomy":"other-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/other-categories?post=3811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}