Methane (CH4) is one of the gases emitted by plants during the process of wilting and decomposition. However, there are many other factors in the decomposition process that scientists have only recently discovered.
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, have found that plants produce and release methane directly into the atmosphere, which represents a previously overlooked source of greenhouse gases.
Initially, scientists investigated what gases plants emitted when they shed wilted leaves to make way for new sprouts. Following this, they conducted surveys on blooming corn plants and patches of grass, discovering that “living” plants released methane 10 to 100 times more than “dead” plants. Additionally, plants receiving more sunlight emitted even higher amounts of methane.
However, how plants can produce methane remains an unexplained mystery. It can only be speculated that the formation of methane in plants is due to a series of unknown reactions, potentially opening up a new field of research for scientists specializing in Plant Chemistry and Plant Biology.
Equally surprising is that the formation of methane is not hindered by oxygen in the air. Until now, scientists believed that microorganisms produced methane from oxygen. Major sources of methane production were thought to be in wet areas, rice paddies, the waste of ruminant animals (like cows), termites, landfills, and the “foul gases” from wastewater treatment facilities, among others. It is estimated that two-thirds of these sources account for 600 million tons of methane produced globally each year.
From this estimation, it is believed that 10% to 30% of the methane formed on Earth is released by plants, with more than 60% originating from tropical regions.
Plants release methane directly into the atmosphere, and this recently discovered phenomenon explains why methane concentrations are alarmingly high in tropical forests (scientists from Heidelberg University have reported this observation via satellite).
After carbon dioxide, methane is also a significant contributor to the temperature changes of our planet. The accumulation of methane in the atmosphere has tripled over the past 150 years, primarily due to the increasing establishment of rice fields and the growth of the cattle industry.
