Measurement Approaches for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rice II: Advanced Technology for Accelerating Throughput

Thi Bach Thuong Vo^1*Reiner Wassmann¹Ryan Romasanta¹Arloo Caesar Centeno¹Mary Louise Mendoza¹Georg Willibald²Ralf Kiese²Ando Radanielson¹

• ¹International Rice Research Institute, Manila, Philippines
• ²Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie, Karlsruhe, Germany

The systematic acquisition of field data is a major bottleneck for identifying scalable solutions that effectively reduce emissions while maintaining productivity in agricultural systems such as rice. This 2nd volume of a multilayered presentation of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission measurements in rice fields links up with a review of scientific findings achieved with well-established measurement approaches. Special emphasis is given to advanced systems with laser-based trace gas analyzers (TGA) integrated into an upgraded closed chamber system. A synchronized field experiment was conducted under Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and Continuous Flooding (CF), comparing a) manual sampling with gas chromatography representing a time-tested reference method, b) a TGA in a stand-alone (portable) configuration, and c) a TGA assembled with a semi-automated multi-valve system. Following a preparatory test resulting in an optimum sampling interval of 4 min, the reliability of the TGA measurements was assessed by calculating R² from linear regression of gas concentration versus sampling time. Based on a paired t-test, the three approaches did not present any significant difference except for rare outliers with p ≤ 0.01 reaching a maximum difference of 12.62 mg m⁻² d⁻¹. In total, these disparities were small compared to overall emission levels and occurred randomly across treatments, indicating that there was no systematic bias between approaches. In the second part of this volume, we broadened the perspective to a comparative assessment of methods supplemented by projecting future developments in GHG measurements in rice. Both portable and multi-valve TGA systems provide greater efficiency and real-time data acquisition while their mutual comparison is a function of research objectives and project settings. Regarding technical features of future measurement systems in rice, we highlighted the multi-valve TGA system as a feasible core component of a high-throughput screening platform intended to identify low-emission rice varieties for immediate dissemination across scales and integration into breeding programs. Finally, we assessed the possible synergies of these high-frequency TGA data sets with other emerging technologies, namely Remote Sensing and Machine Learning, under a diversified regulatory framework for GHG accounting that will likely dissolve the distinction of Tier 2 and 3 approaches for rice production.