Nitrous oxide and methane transport through rice plants

Abstract

The separate closed chamber technique was used to study the potential of rice plants for transporting N₂O and CH₄ produced in soil to the atmosphere. The results indicate that N₂O produced in soil can be conducted to the atmosphere via rice plants similarly to CH₄ transport. More than 80% of both N₂O and CH₄ was emitted through rice plants. The rest was emitted through the soil/water/atmosphere interface by ebullition and diffusion. Nitrate addition increased the total N₂O emission rate substantially but decreased the total CH₄ emission. Nitrate addition did not change the CH₄ emission ratio through rice plants, but lowered the percentage of N₂O emission through rice plants. The results suggest that rice plants serve not only as a conduit for most of the CH₄ leaving the soil but also for the N₂O produced in the soil.