Reduction in energy usage and environmental footprint using biological growth models
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Research partners: Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and Wageningen University
Sponsors: BPEX and PIC
Project duration: 2009 – 2012
Environmental impacts from pig production are widespread with the primary nutrient of concern in excreta being nitrogen. Mitigation methods proposed by the industry for reducing the environmental pollution resulting from pig production are:
- Optimisation of animal nutrition
- Manure management
- Genetic improvement in production.
The overall objective of this project is to improve production efficiency while reducing nitrogen loss, to mitigate the environmental impact of pork production. This will be achieved by utilising data collected in previous research projects. This data will assist with deriving energy usage and production efficiency as well as the environmental footprint and nitrogenous losses of each individual animal. This data will further be used for genomic analysis for the traits of interest.
Data from 315 pigs of a F2 population which originated from crosses of several commercial breeds were used. Nitrogen excretion within each stage of growth was calculated. Results showed that gilts had a lower nitrogen excretion per kilogram weight gain (NEWG) and total nitrogen excretion (TNE) than castrates and that individually housed pigs had lower average daily nitrogen excretion, NEWG and TNE than group-housed pigs.
Analysis of the data over different stages of growth indicated that:
- Nitrogen losses correlate to increases in daily feed intake
- Improvement of production traits was highly important for reduction of nitrogen excretion
- Deposition of lipid requires more energy than depositing protein
- Leaner animals require less energy intake and thus excrete less nitrogen
- Nitrogen excretion changed substantially during growth
- Nitrogen excretion can be reduced by improving feed efficiency, weight gain and body composition.
Associations between total nitrogen excretion with food conversion ratio (kg/kg), average daily gain (g/d), lipid to protein gain ratio, and length of finishing period (DAYS) during the entire growing-finishing period from 60 to 140 kg.
Changes of average daily nitrogen intake (ADNI) average daily nitrogen retention (ADNR), average daily nitrogen excretion (ADNE), and nitrogen excretion per weight gain (NW) in relation to different growth periods in growing-finishing pigs.
An abstract has been submitted to the British Society of Animal Science for its annual conference in 2011.
Page last updated
08-Apr-2011