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A study was conducted in eighteen sheep divided into three groups of six animals each and fed on a diet comprising finger millet (Eleusine coracana) straw and concentrate in 50:50. Animals in the control group (T0) received diet without tanniferous tree leaves, while in T1 and T2 groups, animals received diets with Syzygium cumini (source of HT) and Machilus bombycina (source of CT), respectively. Enteric methane emission from the animals was measured. Hydrolyzable and condensed tannin intake in the T1 and T2 groups was 14.08 and 4.29 g/kg dry matter, respectively. Results from the study did not reveal any adverse impact of hydrolyzable and condensed tannin-containing leaves on the dry matter (g/100 kg BW) or digestible dry matter intake. The study confirmed a significant reduction in enteric methane emission (g/d) due to the supplementation. The methanogen numbers in test groups T1 and T2 were lower than those in the control; however, the rumen protozoal population (× 105/mL) was adversely affected by Syzygium cumini. Supplementation of selected leaves would help in conserving additional energy for the animal's use and also to curtail the contribution of livestock to GHG emissions. Long-term studies are warranted with selected sources to confirm the persistency of methane reduction.

Tamarind seed husk, an agricultural waste, was evaluated both in vitro & in vivo as a methane-ameliorating agent. Basal diets for in vitro study were formulated using finger millet straw and concentrate in 70:30 proportions, and tamarind seed husk was included as part of the concentrate with equal (w/w) replacement of wheat bran to achieve 2.5 (T1), 5.0 (T2) and 10.0% (T3) levels. Based on the in vitro results, two levels (2.5%, T1 and 5.0%, T2) of tamarind seed husk were selected for the in vivo study in male cattle to investigate the effect on enteric methane emission. Fifteen crossbred cattle divided into three groups were assigned to the following diets: control (T0, no husk), test group 1 (T1, 2.5% husk) and test group 2 (T2, 5.0% husk). The in vivo study showed a decrease of about 17% in enteric methane emission with a higher level (5%) of tamarind seed husk supplementation. The in vivo study demonstrated a non-adverse impact of supplementation on dry matter intake and digestibility, while rumen methanogens notably decreased at 5% inclusion level. It may be concluded that tamarind seed husk supplementation achieved significant methane reduction via direct inhibition of rumen methanogens without affecting fibre degradability.