Effect of polyethylene glycol addition on methane production from some Algerian browse plant species in an in vitro gas system
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Date
2013
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om.ciheam.org
Abstract
Abstract. Biological activity of tannins of different browse plants was measured as the change in methane
production when plant material was incubated with and without polyethylene glycol (PEG) using the in vitro
gas production technique. Four dicotyledon browse plants (Atriplex halimus, Artemisia campestris, Artemisia
herba-alba, Calobota saharae) and three monocotyledon browse plants (Stipagrostis pungens, Lygeum
spartum and Stipa tenacissima), collected from an arid zone in Bousâada were evaluated. The increase in
gas production upon the addition of PEG, compared with that without PEG, for the browse species varied
widely (P<0.05), being particularly high in S. tenacissima (+35.0%) and low in L. spartum (+1.5%). The
methane concentration in fermentation gas ranged from 7.9% with A. halimus to 18.6% with L. spartum. The
higher increase in methane percentage was noted for S. tenacissima (+47.4%) and the lower percent value
was observed for L. spartum (+1.5%). In presence of PEG, the methane production had positive correlation
with crude protein (r = +0.78) while in absence of PEG, the methane production was correlated negatively
with total condensed tannins (r = -0.88). The strongest correlation (r = 0.89; P<0.01) was between total
condensed tannins and methane increase response to the addition of polyethylene glycol, suggesting that
tannin compounds appeared to be useful to identify plants possessing antimethanogenic activity