DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/nutrinet2026_016

EFFECT OF REPLACING RAPESEED MEAL WITH CALCIUM NITRATE ON RUMEN FERMENTATION AND RUMEN MICROBIOME IN DAIRY COWS

Veronika Stejskalová1,3, Kristýna Králová1, Mariana Vadroňová1,2, Alena Výborná2, Michaela Beranová2, Miroslav Joch1,2
1 Department of Microbiology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
2 Department of Nutrition and Feeding of Farm Animals, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00 Prague, Czech Republic
3 Department of Genetics and Breeding of Farm Animals, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00 Prague, Czech Republic

Cattle farming is a major agricultural source of methane emissions originating from rumen fermentation. Methane has a high global warming potential, and its production represents an energy loss for ruminants. Nitrate supplementation is a promising mitigation strategy, as nitrates act as alternative hydrogen acceptors in the rumen, reducing methanogenesis and producing ammonia that can serve as a source of non-protein nitrogen. This study aimed to assess the effect of replacing rapeseed meal with calcium nitrate on rumen fermentation and the composition of the rumen microbiome in dairy cows under in vivo conditions. We hypothesized that calcium nitrate would alter the ratio of volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid, increase the concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen in rumen fluid, and influence the structure of the rumen microbial community. Eight Holstein dairy cows were fed two diets in a crossover design for two 21-day periods (14 days of adaptation and 7 days of sampling). The treatments were: 1) silage-based basal diet + rapeseed meal (40 g/kg TMR) (CONTROL) and 2) silage-based basal diet + 100 g nitrate per cow/d (Bolifor CNF 1%) (NITRATE). Nitrate supplementation did not affect dry matter intake (P = 0.521) or any fermentation parameters: VFA  (P = 0.342); pH (P = 0.421); NH3-N (P = 0.761). Nitrate supplementation affected alpha diversity in the Chao1 richness index (P = 0.0164), and the number of ASVs (P = 0.0153); other indices (Shannon and Simpson diversity indices and Pielou evenness index) were not statistically significant. At the phylum level, Firmicutes  (P = 0.844) and Bacteroidota (P = 0.945) were dominant with no significant changes in their relative abundances. No significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of any major bacterial families, including Methanobacteriaceae (Control 6.2 %, Nitrate 3.9 %, P= 0.039). In conclusion, calcium nitrate supplementation affected bacterial diversity and the Methanobacteriaceae family.

Keywords: nitrate; methane; emissions; volatile fatty acids; ruminant nutrition

pages: 138-153, online: 2026



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