ABSTRACT Methane (CH4) is the second major greenhouse gas after CO2, exerting a significant influence on the climate and the chemistry of the atmosphere. In lowland soil, acetate and H2/CO2 are the most important precursors of CH4 and formed from organic matter fermentation in an anaerobic environment, giving rise to short-chain organic acids (ethanoic, propanoic, and butanoic), depending on the type of crop residue and the soil management system. Ethanoic acid can be directly converted to CH4 by methanogenic microorganisms, but propanoic and butanoic acids must be converted to acetate before being converted to CH4. This study aimed to quantify, in isolation, the dynamics and CH4 emission potential of the three short-chain organic acids found in flooded lowland soils with rice crops. The study was carried out in a controlled environment using four standard carbon doses (0, 90, 180, and 270 mg kg−1) of ethanoic, propanoic, and butanoic acids. The dynamics and the potential emission of CH4 from soil were investigated when the acids were applied to flooded soil previously incubated for 20 days. The CH4 emission dynamics were altered with the application of the three short-chain organic acids to the soil, even using an equal amount of carbon. The faster and more intense emission was achieved with the ethanoic acid application in relation to the other two acids application, while butanoic acid presents slower, delayed, and prolonged dynamics of CH4 emission. Propanoic acid resulted in the lowest CH4 emission due to its own stoichiometry and the temperature condition in which the experiment was conducted, which were unfavorable to the hydrogenotrophic bacteria. The addition of short-chain organic acids promoted a priming effect in the soil with conversion values of C to CH4 above the calculated theoretical values.

RESUMO: O carbono rizosférico resultado da exsudação radicular é um dos substratos utilizados pela microbiota do solo, refletindo-se nas emissões de metano (CH4) em ambientes anóxicos, como no cultivo de arroz irrigado. Com o aumento da capacidade fotossintética da planta no período reprodutivo, ocorre acúmulo maior de biomassa, que por sua vez, impulsiona aumento na taxa de exsudação radicular. Entretanto, variações genotípicas nos aspectos fisiológicos das plantas de arroz podem se relacionar com a quantidade de exsudatos radiculares. Foram avaliadas dez cultivares de arroz irrigado quanto a taxa de exsudação de carbono orgânico total (TEXCOT), matéria seca da parte aérea (MSPA) e variáveis fisiológicas relacionadas com a fotossíntese no período de florescimento pleno. Dois experimentos foram conduzidos na casa de vegetação do Departamento de Solos da UFSM em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado. As cultivares apresentaram diferenças significativas na TEXCOT, na MSPA e em todas as variáveis fisiológicas, bem como, correlações positivas e significantes entre TEXCOT e as variáveis fisiológicas, sendo que as cultivares de ciclo precoce se mostraram mais ineficientes nas variáveis fisiológicas refletindo em valores reduzidos de TEXCOT e MSPA, enquanto que as cultivares de ciclo médio se mostraram mais eficientes com reflexos em maiores TEXCOT e MSPA.

ABSTRACT: Rhizospheric carbon resulting from root exudation is one of the substrates used by the soil microbiota, and reflects methane (CH4) emissions in anoxic environments such as irrigated rice cultivation. With the increase of the photosynthetic capacity of the plant in the reproductive period, there is greater accumulation of biomass which, in turn, increases the rate of root exudation. However, genotypic variations in the physiological aspects of rice plants may be related to the amount of root exudates. Ten cultivars of irrigated rice were evaluated for the exudation rate of total organic carbon (EXRToc), shoot dry matter (SDM), and physiological variables related to photosynthesis during the full flowering (blooming) period. Two experiments were conducted in the greenhouse of the Department of Soils of the UFSM (University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil) in a completely randomized experimental design. The cultivars presented significant differences in EXRToc, SDM, and all physiological variables as well as positive and significant correlations between EXRToc and physiological variables. Early cultivars were more inefficient in the physiological variables reflecting reduced values of EXRToc and SDM whereas medium-cycle cultivars were more efficient with larger EXRToc and SDM reflections.

RESUMO: A avaliação da conversão da matéria orgânica do solo (MOS) entre pastagens e cultivos arbóreos, tornou-se possível graças a diferença entre os ciclos fotossintéticos do eucalipto (C3) e da maioria das gramíneas (C4). Com o autoanalisador acoplado ao IRMS (isotope ratio mass spectrometer) e a avaliação da abundância isotópica de 13C, o presente estudo estimou a conversão da MOS em perfis do solo sob plantio de eucaliptos de diferentes idades (2, 10 e 21 anos), em área de regeneração natural e em campo de pastagem natural. O manejo inicial de todas as áreas amostradas era de pastagem natural. Foram avaliadas as seguintes camadas do perfil: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-70 e 70-90cm. Assim como estimada a contribuição proveniente da biomassa de eucaliptos ao longo dos anos de cultivo no processo de conversão da MOS. Após 10 anos de plantio, o processo de conversão da matéria orgânica nos cultivos arbóreos atingiu as camadas até 20cm. Após 21 anos de plantio e na área de regeneração natural, todo o perfil já sofreu alteração pelo plantio de eucaliptos e espécies arbóreas nativas.

ABSTRACT: It has become possible to evaluate the conversion of soil organic matter (SOM) in pastures and arboreal crops due to the difference between the photosynthetic cycles of Eucalyptus (C3) and most grasses (C4). The auto analyzer method coupled to the IRMS (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer) in the present study evaluated the 13C content in soil profiles of Eucalyptus plantations of different ages (2, 10 and 21 years), in natural regeneration areas and natural grazing fields, and estimated the SOM conversion of each crop type of. The initial management of all sampled areas was natural pasture. The following profile layers were evaluated: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-70 and 70-90cm, and the contribution of Eucalyptus biomass over the years of farming was estimated in the SOM conversion process. After 2 years of planting Eucalyptus, the beginning of pasture carbon conversion process occurred in the surface layer (0-5cm). Ten years after planting, the process of converting organic matter by arboreal crops reached the layers up to 20cm. After 21 years of planting and in natural regeneration areas, the entire profile has already been changed by planting Eucalyptus and native tree species.