Effect of gypsum amendment on dissimilatory sulfate reducing microorganisms in rice field soil

Despite low sulfate concentrations, in rice paddies sulfate reduction rates comparable to marine surface sediments have been observed. The activity of dissimilatory sulfate-reducing microorganisms have a crucial role on mitigating methane production by methanogenic Archaea. In this experiment, metagenomic libraries were prepared from bulk and rhizosphere soil of rice plants cultivated with or without gypsum addition, in order to investigate native dissimilatory sulfate-reducing microbial populations and to characterize their metabolic properties.