Individual and interactive effects of temperature and blue light on canola growth, lignin biosynthesis and methane emissions

Abstract

It is now well documented that plants produce methane (CH₄) under aerobic conditions. However, the mechanisms of methane production in plants, its potential precursors, and the factors that are involved in the process are not fully understood. Few studies have considered the effects of blue light on methane emissions from plants; however, the combined effects of temperature and blue light have not been studied. We studied the effects of two temperature regimes (22/18 °C and 28/24 °C; 16 h light/8 h dark), and three blue light levels (0, 4, and 8 mW cm⁻²; 400–500 nm) on the growth, lignin, and methane emissions of canola (Brassica napus). Plants were grown under experimental conditions for three weeks, and then methane, monolignols and other plant traits, including growth, biomass, growth index, photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic pigments, were measured. Blue light significantly increased methane emissions, stem height, and growth rate, but decreased stem diameter, leaf number and area, biomass, specific leaf mass, leaf area ratio, shoot/root mass ratio, photosynthetic pigments, sinapyl alcohol, and coniferyl aldehyde. Higher temperature significantly decreased stem diameter, non-photochemical quenching, sinapyl alcohol, and coniferyl aldehyde. Methane emission was negatively correlated with plant dry mass, leaf area per plant, and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II. However, no significant relationships were found between methane and monolignols. In conclusion, plants emitted more methane under stress conditions; however, further studies are required to understand the potential precursors of methane and the mechanism of its synthesis in plants.