Rice Cultivar Renewal Reduces Methane Emissions by Improving Root Traits and Optimizing Photosynthetic Carbon Allocation

Siyu Li, Lu Chen, Xian Han, Kai Yang, Kun Liu, Jun Wang, Yun Chen and Lijun Liu ()
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Siyu Li: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Lu Chen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xian Han: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Kai Yang: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Kun Liu: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Jun Wang: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yun Chen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Lijun Liu: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: Cultivar renewal (CR) contributes greatly to rice yield increase in China and even in the world. However, few studies were focused on the impact and mechanism of CR on field methane (CH 4 ) emissions. A 2-year field experiment was conducted using 14 typical japonica rice cultivars released in the Yangtze River Basin of China during the last 70 years. The grain yield, root morphophysiological traits and their relationships with CH 4 emissions were examined. The results showed that the grain yields of cultivars in the 1960–2010s increased by 18.8–93.9% while the CH 4 emissions decreased by 9.5–41.2% compared with the 1950’s cultivars. The daily and cumulative CH 4 emissions during the panicle differentiation stage (PD) were reduced significantly, which contributed greatly to the CH 4 mitigation of the whole growing season. The CR notably increased root biomass, root/shoot ratio, root oxidation activity, and the total organic carbon in root exudates (ETOC), and decreased the ratios of ETOC/yield, ETOC/root biomass and ETOC/shoot biomass. Nitrogen fertilizer applied during panicle differentiation could improve the root physiology and decrease the ETOC/yield and ETOC/root, therefore reducing CH 4 emissions. Our findings illustrated that CR reduced CH 4 emissions by improving root traits and by optimizing the photosynthate allocation to biomass and grain yields. Applying nitrogen fertilizer during panicle differentiation could further mitigate the CH 4 emissions in paddies.

Keywords: Japonica rice; cultivar renewal; methane emission; photosynthetic C allocation; root morphology and physiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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