Work Package (WP) 2 – Methods development and Standard Operating Protocols (SOP)

Aim

WP Leader: Paolo Bani
Email: paolo.bani[at]unicatt.it

To establish the methods for animal study (methane, feed intake) and next-generation sequencing (metabarcoding) and to harmonize SOPs.

The workpackage will:

• Calibrate methods for indirect measurement of feed intake and digestibility by markers
• Optimize measurements of methane emission in different locations and farming systems.
• Select the more appropriate method to get representative rumen content samples
• Develop optimized DNA metabarcoding markers for characterization and quantification of rumen microflora
• Prepare SOP and methodology for large scale experiments on commercial farms.

Major Outcomes

• Protocol for the indirect measurement of feed intake with markers. In a large farm the direct measurement of DMI is not feasible
• An on-farm protocol to measure methane emissions from individual animals
• Report on comparisons between invasive and non invasive methods for the characterization and quantification of rumen microflora and protocol to be applied on commercial farms.
• Report on the comparison between alternative metagenomics methods and protocol to be applied to large scale analyses