Methane balance of an intensively grazed pasture and estimation of the enteric methane emissions from cattle

The methane turbulent fluxes of an intensively grazed pasture were measured continuously from June 2012 to December 2013 at the Dorinne Terrestrial Observatory (DTO) in Belgium. During grazing periods, the fluxes were dominated by enteric fermentation and were found to be strongly related to cow stocking density. In 2013, total emission from the pasture was found between 9 and 11 g CH4 m−2, 97% of which being emitted during grazing periods. Emission per LU (livestock unit) was estimated in a non-invasive way by integrating eddy covariance fluxes over large periods and by assuming a homogeneous average cattle disposition on the pasture.

This estimate was compared to the one obtained during confinement periods, where cows were confined in a small part of the pasture. The emission per LU varied between 104 and 134 g CH4 LU−1 day−1 (13 and 17 g CH4 kg DMI−1), depending on the dataset and the computation method used. Diel course was characterized by two emission peaks, one in the morning and a larger one in the afternoon. For rest periods (no cattle on the pasture), small emissions were observed (median and mean values of 0.5 and 1.5 mg CH4 m−2 day−1, respectively).