2026-10-15T21:09:51Z https://data.mendeley.com/oai

oai:data.mendeley.com/s7xs7wrnzx.1 2026-09-29T06:32:02Z

Umunezero, Olive Feed quality, digestibility, and methane emission trade-offs among conventional and unconventional fodder resources in smallholder dairy systems of Rwanda. Mendeley Data Smallholder dairy production in Rwanda is constrained by seasonal shortages of nutritionally adequate fodder, affecting production and potentially increasing enteric methane emissions. This study evaluated feed quality, digestibility, intake potential, energy supply, and methane emission trade-offs among conventional and unconventional fodder resources available during the dry season across two agro-ecological zones of Rwanda. Feed quality, digestibility, intake, energy, and methane-related parameters were estimated using simulation models, while multivariate and correlation analyses assessed relationships among nutritional attributes and methane production. Significant differences were observed among fodder classes in nutritional composition, digestibility, energy value, and predicted methane production (P < 0.05). Crude protein ranged from 5–26.5%, NDF from 42–69%, metabolizable energy from 4.68–13 MJ/kg DM, and predicted methane production from 12.8–32 g/day. Legumes showed superior feed quality, with higher CP, mineral content, digestibility, and energy value and lower NDF and methane production than grasses, shrubs, and crop residues. Methane production was positively correlated with NDF (r = 0.70; P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with non-fiber carbohydrates (r = −0.77), net energy for lactation (r = −0.56), and metabolizable energy (r = −0.47; P ≤ 0.001). Overall, high-quality legume fodders demonstrated a favorable trade-off between nutrient supply, digestibility, and methane emission potential, supporting their integration into sustainable smallholder dairy feeding systems. Animal Feed Laboratory Biomechanics Dataset doi:10.17632/s7xs7wrnzx.1 oai:data.mendeley.com/s7xs7wrnzx.1 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/s7xs7wrnzx 2026-09-29T06:32:02Z