Bhubaneswar: In a pioneering step toward climate-smart agriculture, scientists from the ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack recently developed a groundbreaking solution to one of the environment’s pressing concerns—methane emissions from rice fields, officials informed Monday. Pratap Bhattacharyya, Head, Crop Production Division and Principal Scientist at NRRI, led the research team that identified this bacterium. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Our work is to provide a solution to mitigate climate change in agriculture.” “Our research started in 2019 when this methanotroph bacterial strain (MT-22) was isolated from the soils of Sundarban mangroves ecosystem, however, after exhaustive laboratory and multi-location field trials, it showed promising results in rice fields,” he said.
“This bacterial strain ‘MT-22’ was registered with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) August 9,2021 under accession number MZ683316 (named Methylobacterium sp.). Further, for utilisation of this methanotroph, an environment-friendly and easy-to-use solid formulation product was developed which is currently pending patent approval (Application No. 202211063833 filed November 9, 2022).” he said. ICAR-NRRI director AK Nayak said, “The implications of such technologies extend beyond just environmental benefits and play a crucial role in the emerging market for carbon credits, where reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can translate into economic benefits for farmers.” “Such technologies are imperative for decarbonisation of agriculture and in achieving Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals of India,” he commented. According to officials, the innovative breakthrough involves the isolation and application of methane-oxidizing bacteria, known as methanotrophs (named MT-22), which have shown remarkable results in reducing methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. “Rice cultivation is known to contribute between four to six per cent of global anthropogenic methane emissions, releasing 23 to 34 teragrams (Tg) of methane annually.
Specifically in India, irrigated rice fields are responsible for approximately 3.97 Tg of methane emissions each year,” they said. “The introduction of the methane-oxidising bacteria-based formulation product containing MT-22 by ICAR-NRRI offers a promising solution to this challenge by achieving methane emissions reductions of 10 to 12 per cent,” officials said. Moreover, as this technology is on the verge of being commercialised for large-scale use, it has received recognition from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) highlighting its viability and potential for widespread adoption.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP