The Innovation Team of Fertilizer and Fertilization Technology at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) has unveiled the mechanism by which ethylene promotes methane oxidation and inhibits methane production, achieving methane emission reduction in green manure rice fields. The related research findings were published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

In southern rice-growing areas, utilizing fallow fields to plant green manure not only reduces fertilizer input and improves soil health but also enhances rice yield. However, under prolonged flooded conditions, there is an increased risk of methane (CH4) emissions due to the growth of methane-producing bacteria. Ethylene, a natural plant growth regulator and signaling molecule, can improve rice root aeration tissues, facilitating oxygen entry into the rice field soil, thereby suppressing CH4 production and promoting CH4 oxidation. However, well-developed aeration tissues can also lead to rapid CH4 emission from the soil surrounding rice roots. Currently, there is limited research on using ethylene to regulate methane emissions in rice fields, and the mechanisms by which ethylene regulates methane emissions in green manure rice fields are not well understood.

For the first time, this study applied ethylene in rice production practices and found that ethylene not only reduced CH4 emissions from rice fields but also increased rice yield stability. Ethylene primarily improved rice root aeration tissues, enhanced root activity, reduced soil reducible substances, promoted CH4 oxidation, inhibited CH4 production, and significantly reduced CH4 emissions from rice fields. Therefore, future research should delve deeper into the mechanisms of ethylene regulation of methane oxidation and production in rice fields, comprehensively assess the emission reduction and carbon sequestration benefits of combining green manure with ethylene, and provide effective technical support for low-carbon rice field production systems.

Ph.D. students Sun Jinxin and Ma Zhengbo from the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences are the joint first authors of this paper, with Professor Zhou Guopeng from Anhui Agricultural University, Professor Zou Chunqin from China Agricultural University, and Researcher Cao Weidong from the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences as corresponding authors. The research was supported by the Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Northern Arid and Semi-arid Cropland, the National Key Research and Development Program during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021YFD1700200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072678, 32202609), and the National Green Manure Industry Technology System (CARS-22).

Citation: Sun, J., Ma, Z., Zhou, G., Liang, T., Liu, R., Chang, D., Liu, H., Liu, J., Zou, C., Cao, W. (2025). Ethylene stimulates methane oxidation and inhibits methane production in green manure-rice systems. Journal of Environmental Management, 383: 125461.

Original Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125461