High-yield rice breed emits up to 70 percent less methane

Rice cultivation is responsible for around 12% of global methane emissions, and these emissions are expected to increase with global warming and as the human population continues to grow.

Now, scientists have identified chemical compounds released by rice roots that determine how much methane the plants emit. On February 3 in Molecular Plant, they report that this information enabled them to breed a new strain of rice that emits up to 70% less methane.

"This study shows that you can have low methane and still have a rice with high yields," says senior author Anna Schnürer, a microbiologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. "And you can do it using traditional breeding methods, without GMO, if you know what you're looking for."

The methane emitted by rice paddies is produced by microbes that break down organic compounds released from rice plant roots. Rice and other plants release these compounds, known as "root exudates," to feed soil microbes, which in turn aid plant growth by releasing nutrients that the plants can absorb.

Image source: Yunkai Jin & Kai Sun.