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Challenges in mechanistic modeling of methane production and release in agricultural soils: Perspective on limitations and opportunities.

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Title: Challenges in mechanistic modeling of methane production and release in agricultural soils: Perspective on limitations and opportunities.
Authors: Beegum, Sahila1 (AUTHOR) sbeegum2@unl.edu, Burra, Karthik1,2 (AUTHOR), Das, Saurav3 (AUTHOR), Kapoor, Aditya1 (AUTHOR), Ray, Chittaranjan1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Critical Reviews in Environmental Science & Technology. 2026, Vol. 56 Issue 8, p375-406. 32p.
Subjects: Methane, Paddy fields, Microbiology, Climate change mitigation, Causal models, Biogeochemical cycles, Soils
Abstract: Accurate prediction of methane (CH4) emissions from agricultural lands, particularly rice paddies, is essential for effective climate change mitigation. Although current models capture broad emission trends, they often struggle to represent the complex interactions among the processes that govern CH4 production, oxidation, transport, and release. These challenges arise from multiple interconnected factors, including dynamic microbial communities with diverse metabolic pathways; fluctuating substrate availability shaped by rice management practices; and several transport mechanisms, such as diffusion, ebullition, and plant-mediated pathways, that are difficult to parameterize and scale. This review examines four interconnected dimensions of CH4 modeling: (a) how major CH4-related processes are conceptualized in existing models; (b) the quantitative performance of widely used CH4 models in rice systems; (c) the key limitations and challenges that constrain process-based CH4 simulations; and (d) opportunities for model improvement. Across these dimensions, the review provides an in-depth synthesis of the key biogeochemical and rice crop processes, including redox dynamics, substrate supply, microbial activity, CH4 production and oxidation, transport mechanisms, and rice plant–root–soil interactions. We argue that discrepancies between modeled and observed CH4 emissions arise not only from model assumptions and structural limitations but also from the inherent complexity of the system and limited data available for model development and evaluation. To enhance predictive accuracy, we highlight the need for improved representation of microbial processes, soil biogeochemistry, plant–soil interactions, and scaling approaches. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective to guide the development of more advanced CH4 modeling tools for rice agricultural systems. HIGHLIGHTS: Methane production, transport, and emission involve complex, multi-scale processes, making their representations in models inherently challenging. The current understanding is limited by both conceptual knowledge gaps and measurement constraints, particularly at fine spatial and temporal scales. Recent advances in microsite-level research offer new insights into methane formation, oxidation, and emission processes. Integrating these mechanistic insights into models, along with improved spatial and temporal resolution, could enhance models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science & Technology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Challenges in mechanistic modeling of methane production and release in agricultural soils: Perspective on limitations and opportunities.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Beegum%2C+Sahila%22">Beegum, Sahila</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sbeegum2@unl.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Burra%2C+Karthik%22">Burra, Karthik</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Das%2C+Saurav%22">Das, Saurav</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kapoor%2C+Aditya%22">Kapoor, Aditya</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ray%2C+Chittaranjan%22">Ray, Chittaranjan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Critical+Reviews+in+Environmental+Science+%26+Technology%22">Critical Reviews in Environmental Science & Technology</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 56 Issue 8, p375-406. 32p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Methane%22">Methane</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Paddy+fields%22">Paddy fields</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microbiology%22">Microbiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Climate+change+mitigation%22">Climate change mitigation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Causal+models%22">Causal models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biogeochemical+cycles%22">Biogeochemical cycles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Soils%22">Soils</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Accurate prediction of methane (CH4) emissions from agricultural lands, particularly rice paddies, is essential for effective climate change mitigation. Although current models capture broad emission trends, they often struggle to represent the complex interactions among the processes that govern CH4 production, oxidation, transport, and release. These challenges arise from multiple interconnected factors, including dynamic microbial communities with diverse metabolic pathways; fluctuating substrate availability shaped by rice management practices; and several transport mechanisms, such as diffusion, ebullition, and plant-mediated pathways, that are difficult to parameterize and scale. This review examines four interconnected dimensions of CH4 modeling: (a) how major CH4-related processes are conceptualized in existing models; (b) the quantitative performance of widely used CH4 models in rice systems; (c) the key limitations and challenges that constrain process-based CH4 simulations; and (d) opportunities for model improvement. Across these dimensions, the review provides an in-depth synthesis of the key biogeochemical and rice crop processes, including redox dynamics, substrate supply, microbial activity, CH4 production and oxidation, transport mechanisms, and rice plant–root–soil interactions. We argue that discrepancies between modeled and observed CH4 emissions arise not only from model assumptions and structural limitations but also from the inherent complexity of the system and limited data available for model development and evaluation. To enhance predictive accuracy, we highlight the need for improved representation of microbial processes, soil biogeochemistry, plant–soil interactions, and scaling approaches. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective to guide the development of more advanced CH4 modeling tools for rice agricultural systems. HIGHLIGHTS: Methane production, transport, and emission involve complex, multi-scale processes, making their representations in models inherently challenging. The current understanding is limited by both conceptual knowledge gaps and measurement constraints, particularly at fine spatial and temporal scales. Recent advances in microsite-level research offer new insights into methane formation, oxidation, and emission processes. Integrating these mechanistic insights into models, along with improved spatial and temporal resolution, could enhance models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science & Technology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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        Value: 10.1080/10643389.2026.2612932
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 32
        StartPage: 375
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Methane
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Paddy fields
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Microbiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Climate change mitigation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Causal models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Biogeochemical cycles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Soils
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Challenges in mechanistic modeling of methane production and release in agricultural soils: Perspective on limitations and opportunities.
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            NameFull: Das, Saurav
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              Text: 2026
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