Nitrous oxide and methane transport through rice plants

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.