Development and validation of a portable TDLAS system for gas chromatography–level quantification of methane emissions from rice

Rice cultivation is a significant source of agricultural methane (CH₄), yet routine quantification still relies heavily on gas chromatography (GC), which limits throughput and field deployment. Here, we evaluated a portable tunable-diode-laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) detector (PMD) as an alternative to GC for measuring CH₄ released from pot-grown rice plants under field conditions. Weekly closed-chamber samples from five cultivars were analyzed in parallel by GC (FID/MS) and the PMD. Standard gas tests showed an excellent linear relationship for the PMD (R 2 = 0.9995), indicating a near-ideal response. Across field samples, GC and PMD were strongly associated (R 2 = 0.9943). Bland–Altman analysis revealed a mean bias (GC − PMD) of 8.55 with 95% limits of agreement − 9.16 to 26.26, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.991, evidencing near-perfect agreement despite a slight systematic offset. A simple calibration with a linear regression eliminated the bias and narrowed the limits of agreement, while preserving the high correlation. Residual analyses suggested a modest influence of CO₂ (but not N₂O) on between-method differences. Taken together, the PMD provides rapid, robust, and labor-efficient CH₄ measurements that closely match GC when a fixed calibration is applied, enabling high-throughput phenotyping of rice genotypes and management practices in both laboratory and field settings. This calibrated, portable approach lowers barriers to large-scale screening for low-emission rice, supporting climate-smart crop improvement.