Technical note: Manipulating interactions between plant stress responses and soil methane oxidation rates

Abstract

Hosseini Bai, S ORCiD: 0000-0001-8646-6423It has recently been hypothesised that ethylene, released into soil by stressed plants, reduces the oxidation of methane by methanotroph. To test this, a field trial was established in which maize plants were grown with and without soil moisture stress, and the effects of addition aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG; an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor) and biochar (increases soil water holding capacity and reduces plant stress) were determined following the static incubation of soil samples. AVG increased methane oxidation rates by 50 % (p = 0.039), but only in the absence of irrigation. No other treatment effects were observed. This result provides evidence for a positive feedback system between plant stress, ethylene production, and impacts on methanotrophic activity. © 2018 Author(s)