Changes in CH4 and CO2 emissions from soils under flooded conditions after being exposed to FACE (free-air CO2 enrichment) for three years

To evaluate the variations of CO₂ and CH₄ emissions from FACE (free-air CO₂ enrichment, F) soils three years after rice-wheat rotation FACE treatment, incubation experiments in the laboratory with laboratory and elevated CO₂ concentration (1000 μl L^?1) were carried out under flooded conditions at 25°C. Results show that soil organic carbon is increased by 11% after exposure to FACE treatment for three years. The results indicate that at laboratory and elevated CO₂, the cumulative CO₂ emissions from FACE soils are 35% and 22% higher than those from the ambient soils, whereas the cumulative CH₄ emissions from FACE soils are 2.6 and 2.3 times that of ambient soils. Thus, there is a larger ratio of cumulative emissions of CH₄ to CO₂ in the soil F. The elevated CO₂ concentration during the incubation stimulates the cumulative CO₂ emission significantly, but its stimulation on CH₄ emission is not statistically significant. The results indicate that the elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration stimulates the turnover rates of soil organic matter, with a net increase in soil organic matter content, and alters the CH₄/CO₂ ratio.