Plant physiological and soil characteristics associated with methane and nitrous oxide emission from rice paddy

• Published in: Physiology and molecular biology of plants Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 79 - 91
• Main Authors: Baruah, K. K., Gogoi, Boby, Gogoi, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Springer-Verlag 2010
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biophysics; Cell Biology; Life Sciences; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Research Article; Methane; Soil factors; Nitrous oxide; Plant characteristics; Rice variety
• ISSN: 0971-5894; 0974-0430
• DOI: 10.1007/s12298-010-0010-1

Methane (CH
4
) and nitrous oxide (N
2
O) are important greenhouse gases causing global warming and climate change. Efforts were made to analyze the CH
4
and N
2
O flux in relation to plant and soil factors from rice (
Oryza sativa
L.) paddy. Ten popularly grown rice varieties namely Rashmisali, Bogajoha, Basmuthi, Lalkalamdani, Choimora (traditional varieties); Mahsuri, Moniram, Kushal, Gitesh and Profulla (high yielding varieties = HYV) were grown during monsoon season of July 2006. The CH
4
and N
2
O emissions were measured the date of transplanting onwards at weekly interval along with soil and plant parameters. The seasonal integrated CH
4
and N
2
O emission (E
sif
) from rice ranged from 8.13 g m
−2
to 13.00 g m
−2
and 121.63 mg N
2
O-N m
−2
to 189.46 mg N
2
O-N m
−2
, respectively. Variety Gitesh emitted less N
2
O and CH
4
amongst all the rice varieties. Both CH
4
and N
2
O emission exhibited a significant positive correlation with leaf area, leaf number, tiller number and root dry weight. Soil organic carbon of the experimental field was associated with both CH
4
and N
2
O emission whereas nitrate-N content of soil was associated with N
2
O emission. Methane emission showed significant positive correlations with soil temperature and crop photosynthetic rate. Traditional rice varieties with profuse vegetative growth recorded higher CH
4
and N
2
O fluxes compared to HYVs. Gitesh and Kushal having low seasonal CH
4
and N
2
O emission with higher yield potential can be recommended as low greenhouse gas emitting rice varieties.