Butachlor inhibits production and oxidation of methane in tropical rice soils under flooded condition

In laboratory incubation experiments, application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2',6'-diethyl acetanilide) to three tropical rice soils, widely differing in their physicochemical characteristics, under flooded condition inhibited methane (CH4) production. The inhibitory effect was concentration dependent and most remarkable in the alluvial soil. Thus, following application of butachlor at 5, 10, 50 and 100 microg g(-1) soil, respectively, cumulative CH4 production in the alluvial soil was inhibited by 15%, 31%, 91% and 98% over unamended control. Since CH4 production was less pronounced in the sandy loam and acid sulfate soil, the impact of amendment with butchalor, albeit inhibitory, was less extensive than the alluvial soil. Inhibition of CH4 production in butachlor-amended alluvial soil was related to the prevention in the drop in redox potential as well as low methanogenic bacterial population especially at high concentrations of butachlor. CH4 oxidation was also inhibited in butachlor-amended alluvial soil with the inhibitory effect being more prevalent under flooded condition. Inhibition in CH4 oxidation was related to a reduction in the population of soluble methane monooxygenase producing methanotrophs. Results demonstrate that butachlor, a commonly used herbicide in rice cultivation, even at very low concentrations can affect CH4 production and its oxidation, thereby influencing the biogeochemical cycle of CH4 in flooded rice soils.     

Influence of salinity on methanogenesis and associated microflora in tropical rice soils

In a laboratory incubation study, methane (CH4) production in two saline soils and a nonsaline soil sample was investigated under flooded conditions. Mean CH4 production was remarkable (630.86 ng CH4/g) in nonsaline alluvial soil, but low (12.97 ng CH4/g) in acid sulfate saline (Pokkali) soil which was attributed to the high sulfate content of the later. CH4 production was also low in the coastal saline (Canning) soil (142.36 ng CH4/g) but increased upon leaching the soil of its salt content. Addition of salts to the nonsaline alluvial soil at 4, 8, 16 and 20 dS/m progressively decreased CH4 production. The inhibition of CH4 production was related to low microbial activities as reflected by decreased microbial biomass C and low soil microbial population including that of methanogens.     

氮素调控剂对不同类型土壤氮素转化的影响

采用室内培养试验方法,比较了硝化抑制剂双氰胺（DCD）和3,5-二甲基吡唑（DMP）对华北平原两种主要土壤类型潮褐土和潮土中氮素转化的调控效果,并进一步研究了DMP与脲酶抑制剂氢醌（HQ）的配合施用对潮土中氮素转化的影响.结果表明： 在两种供试类型土壤上DMP对尿素氮的硝化抑制作用均强于DCD.与单施尿素相比,在氮素转化高峰时,DMP可使土壤中NH₄⁺-N含量显著提高149.5%～387.2%,NO₃^--N含量降低22.3%～55.3%;同一抑制剂对潮土中氮素转化的调控效应较潮褐土更为明显;与DMP单施相比,DMP和HQ配施表现出明显的对氮素转化的协同抑制效果.
     

Temperature Dependence of Methane Production in Tropical Rice Soils

Although CH 4 production is sensitive to temperature, it is not clear how temperature controls CH 4 production directly versus the production of organic substrates that methanogens convert into CH 4 . Therefore, this study was done to better understand how CH 4 production in rice paddy soil responded to temperature when the process was not limited by the availability of substrates. In a laboratory-incubation study using three Indian rice soils under flooded conditions, the effect of temperature on CH 4 production was examined. CH 4 production in acid sulphate, laterite, and alluvial soil samples under flooded conditions distinctly increased with increase in temperature from 15°C to 35°C. Laterite and acid sulphate soils produced distinctly less CH 4 than alluvial soils. CO 2 production increased with increase in temperature in all the soils. The readily mineralizable carbon C and Fe 2+ contents in soils were least at 15°C and highest at 35°C, irrespective of soil type. Likewise, a significant correlation existed between microbial population (methanogens and sulphate reducers) and CH 4 production. Comparing the temperature coefficients ( Q 10 ) for methane production within each soil type at low (15°C-25°C) and medium (25°C-35°C) temperature intervals revealed that these values were not uniform for both alluvial and laterite soils. But acid sulphate soil had Q 10 values that were near 2 at both temperature intervals. When these soil samples were amended with substrates (acetate, H 2 -CO 2 , and rice straw), there were stimulatory effects on methane production rates and consequently on the Q 10 values. The pattern of temperature coefficients was characteristic of the soil type and the nature of substrates used for amendment.     

3,5-二甲基吡唑磷酸盐(DMPZP)对土壤硝化作用的影响

采用好气培养法,以双氰胺（DCD）为参比对象研究了新型吡唑类硝化抑制剂3,5-二甲基吡唑磷酸盐（DMPZP）对土壤硝化作用的影响.结果表明,DMPZP对土壤中的铵氧化作用有较强的抑制效果,在施用量为1.0%（纯N含量）时能显著提高土壤中的NH₄⁺-N浓度,降低NO₃^--N浓度.DMPZP的硝化抑制效应随用量的增加而增强,相同质量的DMPZP的硝化抑制效果不及DCD,而DCD又不及2倍质量的DMPZP,但等摩尔数（物质量）的DMPZP硝化抑制效果明显优于DCD. DMPZP在施用后的第7天至第14天的硝化抑制作用最强,与不添加抑制剂的处理相比,DMPZP添加量为1.0%和2.0%（纯N含量）时的表观硝化率在第7天和第14天分别降低了29.3%、41.7%和18.6%、34.3%;在此期间,添加DMPZP处理的硝化抑制率均高于30%.DMPZP的施用还可减缓土壤pH的降低速率,但施用DMPZP和DCD对土壤pH的影响差异不显著.     

新型吡唑类化合物DL-1的硝化抑制效应初探

以国内外应用较为广泛的硝化抑制剂双氰胺（DCD）为参比对象,采用室内培养方法,对新型吡唑类化合物DL-1的硝化抑制效应进行初步探讨.结果表明,DL-1对土壤中铵的氧化过程具有显著的抑制效应,前3周的硝化抑制率可达70％以上,且硝化抑制能力在第14天至28天最强.与等量DCD相比,施用量为(NH₄)₂SO₄氮量1.0%的DL-1在14、21和28 d使土壤中的NO₃^--N含量分别下降 26.23%、33.27%和23.31%;与不加抑制剂的对照处理相比,土壤NO₃^--N含量则分别下降了71.12%、69.10%和55.14%.当DL-1用量为(NH₄)₂SO₄氮量的2。0%时,土壤的硝化作用受到了更强烈的抑制,到培养第90天试验结束,土壤中的NO₃^--N含量始终维持在较低水平.     

长效碳酸氢铵对土壤硝化-反硝化过程和NO与N2O排放的影响

Compared with ammonium bicarbonate(AB), the effect of modified ammonium bicarbonate (MAB) on nitrification and denitrification processes and NO and N2O emissions in a clay soil (C soil) and a loam soil (L soil) was studied in laboratory (25 degrees C and 50% WFPS). The inhibition effect of DCD from MAB on nitrification was relatively small in C soil, but considerably great in L soil. Compared with AB, MAB extended 7 days and 33 days for retaining NH4+. During 15 days, the NO emission from C soil and L soil respectively accounted for 0.60% and 1.06% of applied N under AB application (100 micrograms N.g-1), which were as 30 and 12 times as the N2O emission from corresponding soils. After applying MAB, the emission of NO from C soil and L soil decreased by 67% and 95%, and the emission of N2O decreased by 64% and 95%, respectively. After 39 days of aerobic incubation, then anaerobically flooded incubation with nitrate addition (200 micrograms KNO3-N.g-1) for 7 days, the total loss of denitrification in MAB in L soil was 50% less, and N2O emission was 113% more than in AB in same soil.     

The role of indigenous bacterial and fungal soil populations in the biodegradation of crude oil in a desert soil

The biodegradation capacity of indigenous microbial populations was examined in a desert soil contaminated with crude oil. To evaluate biodegradation, soil samples supplemented with 5, 10 or 20% (w/w) of crude oil were incubated for 90 days at 30 °C. The effect of augmentation of the soil with vermiculite (50% v/v) as a bulking agent providing increased surface/volume ratio and improved soil aeration was also tested. Maximal biodegradation (91%) was obtained in soil containing the highest concentration of crude oil (20%) and supplemented with vermiculite; only 74% of the oil was degraded in samples containing the same level of crude oil but lacking vermiculite. Gas chromatograms of distilled fractions of crude oil extracted from the soil before and after incubation demonstrated that most of the light and part of the intermediate weight fractions initially present in the oil extracts could not be detected after incubation. Monitoring of microbial population densities revealed an initial decline in bacterial viable counts after exposure to oil, presumably as a result of the crude oil’s toxicity. This decline was followed by a steep recovery in microbial population density, then by a moderate increase that persisted until the end of incubation. By contrast, the inhibitory effect of crude oil on the fungal population was minimal. Furthermore, the overall increased growth response of the fungal population, at all three levels of contamination, was about one order of magnitude higher than that of the bacterial population.     

氢醌和双氰胺对种稻土壤N2O和CH4排放的影响

通过盆栽试验,研究了脲酶抑制剂氢醌（ＨＱ）、硝化抑制剂双氰胺（ＤＣＤ）及二者的组合（ＨＱ＋ＤＣＤ）对种稻土壤Ｎ２Ｏ和ＣＨ４排放的影响．结果表明,在未施麦秸粉时,所有施抑制剂的处理均较单施尿素的能显著减少水稻生长期供试土壤Ｎ２Ｏ和ＣＨ４的排放．特别是ＨＱ＋ＤＣＤ处理,其Ｎ２Ｏ和ＣＨ４排放总量分别约为对照的１／３和１／２．而在施麦秸粉后,该处理的Ｎ２Ｏ排放总量为对照的１／２,但ＣＨ４排放总量却较少差别．不论是Ｎ２Ｏ还是ＣＨ４的排放总量,施麦秸粉的都比未施的高出１倍和更多．因此,单从土壤源温室气体排放的角度看,将未腐熟的有机物料与尿素共施,并不是一种适宜的施肥制度．供试土壤的Ｎ２Ｏ排放通量,与水稻植株的ＮＯ－３Ｎ含量和土表水层中的矿质Ｎ量分别呈显著的指数正相关和线性正相关;ＣＨ４的排放通量则与水稻植株的生长量和土表水层中的矿质Ｎ量呈显著的线性负相关．在Ｎ２Ｏ与ＣＨ４的排放间,未施麦秸粉时存在着定量的相互消长关系;施麦秸粉后,虽同样存在所述关系,但难以定量化．     

长效碳酸氢铵对土壤硝化-反硝化过程和NO与N2O排放的影响

室内实验(25℃和50%WFPS)比较研究了碳酸氢铵(普碳)和长效碳酸氢铵(长碳)对粘质土壤(粘土)和壤质土壤(壤土)硝化反硝化过程和NO与N₂O排放的影响.长碳中的DCD在粘土中的硝化抑制作用很弱,在壤土中显著,与普碳处理相比,NH₄⁺持续时间分别延长7d和33d.15d内,施普碳(100μgN·g^-1)情况下,粘土和壤土NO排放量分别占施N量的0.60%和1.06%,分别是相应土壤N₂O排放量的30和12倍.施长碳后,粘土和壤土NO排放量分别减少67%和95%,N₂O排放量分别减少64%和55%.有氧培养39d后,外加硝酸盐(200μgKNO₃-N·g^-1),接着淹水厌氧培养7d,壤土长碳处理较普碳处理反硝化总损失减少50%,但N₂O排放量增加113%.     

元素硫和双氰胺对蔬菜地土壤硝态氮淋失的影响

采用温室盆栽淋洗试验,以NH₄HCO₃为氮肥源,研究了元素硫(S₀)和双氰胺（DCD）对种葱和不种作物土壤NO₃^--N淋失量和NO₃^--N、NH₄⁺-N浓度的影响.结果表明,在12周试验期间,与对照相比,S₀+DCD和S₀处理NO₃^--N淋失量分别低83%～86%和83%;NH₄⁺-N淋失量分别高16.8～21.0 mg·盆^-1和20.4～25.0 mg·盆^-1;而同期无机氮（NO₃^--N、NH₄⁺-N）淋失量则低60%.试验结束后,,S₀+DCD和S₀处理土壤无机氮含量分别比对照高79.9%～85.4%和74.9%～82.6%,以NH₄⁺-N为主.S₀+DCD处理无机氮淋失量比S₀和DCD处理分别低4.6%～14.4%和15.4%～30.1%;试验结束后土壤无机氮分别高6.1%和16.8～36.0%.在Na₂S₂O₃+DCD、Na₂S₂O₃和DCD处理中也发现类似结果.可见S₀施入土壤具有与DCD同样的氨稳定和硝化抑制作用.S₀与DCD配合施用可使DCD的硝化抑制性增强,其作用机理是S₀氧化中间体S₂O₃^2-、S₄O₆^2-,具有抑制硝化和DCD降解作用,延缓DCD硝化抑制效果.S0与DCD配合施用可用于延缓太湖流域蔬菜地土壤NH₄⁺-N向NO₃^--N转化,减少氮向水体迁移风险.     

氮肥调控剂对潮褐土中不同氮源氮素转化及油菜生长的影响

采用土壤培养和盆栽试验相结合的方法,研究了硝化抑制剂双氰胺(DCD)与纳米碳配合施用对尿素和碳酸氢铵在华北平原典型土壤潮褐土中转化的调控效果及其对油菜生长的影响.结果表明:尿素和碳酸氢铵在施入土壤后的2周内,土壤无机氮的供应强度差别较大,2周以后则基本相似.2种氮源对油菜生长及氮素利用的影响在生育前期(播种后34 d)差异显著,但最终达到商品生物量收获时,氮源之间差异不大.DCD对尿素和碳酸氢铵在潮褐土中的转化表现出显著的硝化抑制作用,其抑制强度和有效抑制时间随DCD用量的增加而增强,且以对碳酸氢铵施入土壤后的硝化抑制效果更好.在本研究条件下,DCD用量以占肥料纯氮量的1.0％ ～1.5％相对较佳,可显著提高油菜产量,改善叶色,降低植株硝酸盐含量,提高氮肥利用率.纳米碳与DCD配合施用对土壤铵氧化有明显的协同抑制效果,且可以显著刺激油菜前期的生长发育和氮素利用,降低油菜硝酸盐含量.     

Methane oxidation and methane driven redox process during sequential reduction of a flooded soil ecosystem

A laboratory incubation study conducted to assess the temporal variation of CH₄ oxidation during soil reduction processes in a flooded soil ecosystem. A classical sequence of microbial terminal electron accepting process observed following NO₃ ^? reduction, Fe³⁺ reduction, SO₄ ^2? reduction and CH₄ production in flooded soil incubated under initial aerobic and helium-flushed anaerobic conditions. CH₄ oxidation in the slurries was influenced by microbial redox process during slurry reduction. Under aerobic headspace condition, CH₄ oxidation rate (k) was stimulated by 29 % during 5 days (NO₃ ^? reduction) and 32 % during both 10 days (Fe³⁺) and 20 days (early SO₄ ^2? reduction) over unreduced slurry. CH₄ oxidation was inhibited at the later methanogenic period. Contrastingly, CH₄ oxidation activity in anaerobic incubated slurries was characterized with prolonged lag phase and lower CH₄ oxidation. Higher CH₄ oxidation rate in aerobically incubated flooded soil was related to high abundance of methanotrophs (r?=?0.994, p?<?0.01) and ammonium oxidizers population (r?=?0.184, p?<?0.05). Effect of electron donors NH₄ ⁺, Fe^2+, S^2? on CH₄ oxidation assayed to define the interaction between reduced inorganic species and methane oxidation. The electron donors stimulated CH₄ oxidation as well as increased the abundance of methanotrophic microbial population except S^2? which inhibited the methanotrophic activity by affecting methane oxidizing bacterial population. Our result confirmed the complex interaction between methane-oxidizing microbial groups and redox species during sequential reduction processes of a flooded soil ecosystem.     

氮肥调控剂对潮褐土中不同氮源氮素转化及油菜生长的影响

采用土壤培养和盆栽试验相结合的方法,研究了硝化抑制剂双氰胺(DCD)与纳米碳配合施用对尿素和碳酸氢铵在华北平原典型土壤潮褐土中转化的调控效果及其对油菜生长的影响.结果表明： 尿素和碳酸氢铵在施入土壤后的2周内,土壤无机氮的供应强度差别较大,2周以后则基本相似.2种氮源对油菜生长及氮素利用的影响在生育前期(播种后34 d)差异显著,但最终达到商品生物量收获时,氮源之间差异不大.DCD对尿素和碳酸氢铵在潮褐土中的转化表现出显著的硝化抑制作用,其抑制强度和有效抑制时间随DCD用量的增加而增强,且以对碳酸氢铵施入土壤后的硝化抑制效果更好.在本研究条件下,DCD用量以占肥料纯氮量的1.0%～1.5%相对较佳,可显著提高油菜产量,改善叶色,降低植株硝酸盐含量,提高氮肥利用率.纳米碳与DCD配合施用对土壤铵氧化有明显的协同抑制效果,且可以显著刺激油菜前期的生长发育和氮素利用,降低油菜硝酸盐含量.     

Ability of nitrapyrin,dicyandiamide and acetylene to retard nitrification in a mineral and an organic soil

Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of nitrapyrin, dicyandiamide (DCD) and acetylene (C₂H₂) as nitrification inhibitors in a silt loam and oragnic soil with and without added NH₄. Nitrapyrin (8 μg/g soil) and DCD (20 μg/g soil) were very effective in retarding nitrification of NH₄−N in the silt loam soil during 14 days of aerobic incubation at 30°C. However neither nitrapyrin, (20 μg/g soil) nor DCD (20 or 100 μg/g soil) were effective in retarding NO₃ production in the organic soil not amended with NH₄. Dicyandiamide was moderately effective in retarding nitrification (39% inhibition) at 100 μg/g concentration but nitrapyrin at 20 μg/g rate had little effect (8% inhibition) on nitrification in the organic soil amended with NH₄. In a separate experiment C₂H₂ was a very effective inhibitor in both soils when present in the flask atmosphere at 0.1% or 1% (v/v).     

Localization of processes involved in methanogenic degradation of rice straw in anoxic paddy soil

In anoxic paddy soil, rice straw is decomposed to CH(4) and CO(2) by a complex microbial community consisting of hydrolytic, fermenting, syntrophic and methanogenic microorganisms. Here, we investigated which of these microbial groups colonized the rice straw and which were localized in the soil. After incubation of rice straw in anoxic soil slurries for different periods, the straw pieces were removed from the soil, and both slurry and straw were studied separately. Although the potential activities of polysaccharolytic enzymes were higher in the soil slurry than in the straw incubations, the actual release of reducing sugars was higher in the straw incubations. The concentrations of fermentation products, mainly acetate and propionate, increased steadily in the straw incubations, whereas only a little CH(4) was formed. In the soil slurries, on the other hand, fermentation products were low, whereas CH(4) production was more pronounced. The production of CH(4) or of fermentation products in the separated straw and soil incubations accounted in sum for 54-82% of the CH(4) formed when straw was not removed from the soil. Syntrophic propionate degradation to acetate, CO(2) and H(2) was thermodynamically more favourable in the soil than in the straw fraction. These results show that hydrolysis and primary fermentation reactions were mainly localized on the straw pieces, whereas the syntrophic and methanogenic reactions were mainly localized in the soil. The percentage of bacterial relative to total microbial 16S rRNA content was higher on the straw than in the soil, whereas it was the opposite for the archaeal 16S rRNA content. It appears that rice straw is mainly colonized by hydrolytic and fermenting bacteria that release their fermentation products into the soil pore water where they are further degraded to CH(4). Hence, complete methanogenic degradation of straw in rice soil seems to involve compartmentalization.     

Anion-Mediated Salinity Affecting Methane Production in a Flooded Alluvial Soil

In a laboratory incubation study, effects of amendment with sodium salts of SO₄ ^2?, Cl^? and HCO₃ ^? either singly or as a mixture on CH₄ production in a nonsaline alluvial soil under flooded condition were investigated. Methane production was considerable in the unamended alluvial soil, but was significantly inhibited following amendment with salts of different anions to raise the pore water EC to 8 dS·m^?1. SO₄ ^2? was the most inhibitory to CH₄ production and the degree of inhibition followed the order SO₄ ^2? > salt mixture > HCO₃ ^? > Cl^?. Salt amendment did not adversely affect soil microbial activities as expressed in terms of soil redox potential (Eh) and soil pH. However, readily mineralizable carbon content, an indicator of substrate availability for methanogenic bacteria, differed significantly among the treatments. Most probable number estimates indicated that acetotrophic methanogenic bacterial population was lowest in Cl^?-amended soils followed by SO₄ ^2?-amendment with little or no changes in HCO₃ ^?-amended soils. The data suggested that the inhibition in methanogenesis in saline soils rich in sulphate as in coastal saline soils could be due to competitive inhibition of methanogens, while in inland soils, Cl^? content could be a deciding factor.     

冬灌田影响水稻生长期甲烷排放量的因素分析

冬灌田是CH4排放量最大的一类稻田。对冬灌田6年（1995-2000年）的测定结果表明,越冬期排干,并种植旱作（小麦或油菜）减少后续水稻生长期CH4排放量,水稻垄作并降低冬季垄沟水位也可有效地减少水稻生长期的CH4排放量。对后3年（1998-2000年）不同处理的测定结果分析表明,冬季土壤水分含量与水稻生长期CH4排放量呈显著正相关,可以预测水稻生长期平均CH4排放量56%的年际和处理变化。如果同时考虑水稻生长期的土壤温度,则可预测78%的变化,控制渗漏池地下水位,调节冬季土壤水分,进一步证明冬季土壤水分对后续水稻生长期CH4排放量的影响。由于水稻生长期土壤温度的冬季土壤水分含量与气候因素密切相关,据此,可以认为,冬季降水和水稻生长期温度变化是导致稻田CH4排放量年际变化的主要因素。     

The degradation of the herbicide bromoxynil and its impact on bacterial diversity in a top soil

Aims: To study how repeated applications of an herbicide bromoxynil to a soil, mimicking the regime used in the field, affected the degradation of the compound and whether such affects were reflected by changes in the indigenous bacterial community present. Methods and Results: Bromoxynil degradation was monitored in soil microcosms using HPLC. Its impact on the bacterial community was determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and quantitative PCR of five bacterial taxa (Pseudomonads, Actinobacteria, α‐Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and nitrifying bacteria). Three applications of 10 mg kg^?1 of bromoxynil at 28‐day intervals resulted in rapid degradation, the time for removal of 50% of the compound decreasing from 6·4 days on the first application to 4·9 days by the third. Bacterial population profiles showed significant similarity throughout the experiment. With the addition of 50 mg kg^?1 bromoxynil to soil, the degradation was preceded by a lag phase and the time for 50% of the compound to be degraded increased from 7 days to 28 days by the third application. The bacterial population showed significant differences 7 days after the final application of bromoxynil that correlated with an inhibition of degradation during the same period. Conclusions: These analyses highlighted that the addition of bromoxynil gave rise to significant shifts in the community diversity and its structure as measured by four abundant taxa, when compared with the control microcosm. These changes persisted even after bromoxynil had been degraded. Significance and Impact of the Study: Here we show that bromoxynil can exert an inhibitory effect on the bacterial population that results in decreased rates of degradation and increased persistence of the compound. In addition, we demonstrate that molecular approaches can identify statistically significant changes in microbial communities that occur in conjunction with changes in the rate of degradation of the compound in the soil.     

Community structure of methanogenic archaea and methane production associated with compost-treated tropical rice-field soil

The diversity and density of methanogenic archaea and methane production were investigated ex situ at different growth stages of rice plant cultivated in compost-treated tropical rice fields. The qPCR analysis revealed variation in methanogens population from 3.40?×?10(6) to 1.11?×?10(7) copies?g(-1) dws, in the year 2009 and 4.37?×?10(6) to 1.36?×?10(7) copies?g(-1) dws in the year 2010. Apart from methanogens, a large number of bacterial (9.60?×?10(9) -1.44?×?10(10) copies?g(-1) dws) and archaeal (7.13?×?10(7) -3.02?×?10(8) copies?g(-1) dws) communities were also associated with methanogenesis. Methanogen population size varied in the order: flowering > ripening > tillering > postharvest > preplantation stage. The RFLP-based 16S rRNA gene-targeted phylogenetic analysis showed that clones were closely related to diverse group of methanogens comprising members of Methanomicrobiaceae, Methanosarcinaceae, Methanosaetaceae and RC I. Laboratory incubation studies revealed higher amount of cumulative CH(4) at the flowering stage. The integration of methanogenic community structure and CH(4) production potential of soil resulted in a better understanding of the dynamics of CH(4) production in organically treated rice-field soil. The hypothesis that the stages of plant development influence the methanogenic community structure leading to temporal variation in the CH(4) production has been successfully tested.