Methylocucumis oryzae

About Methylocucumis oryzae:

• It is a natural bacterium that is abundant in wetlands and rice fields.
• It had a characteristic oval and elongated shape, similar to that of a cucumber, and hence the name ‘methane-eating cucumbers’ was given to this novel genus.
• Features
  • It is found to be an important methanotroph components.
  • It has a remarkably large size compared to other bacteria and is equal to the size of a small yeast (3-6 µm).
  • Another unique feature of this bacterium is that it has a strict mesophilic nature and cannot grow above 37ºC while most of the other methanotrophs can tolerate or grow at 37ºC or even at 40ºC.
  • The bacterium forms light pale pink colored colonies, and the genome is indicative of a carotenoid pathway.
  • In recent years, this methanotroph was also found to promote the growth of rice plants by inducing early flowering and increased grain yield.
• The current constraints with Methylocucumis are slow growth which limits the growth of this culture on a larger scale, needed for mitigation and biotechnological applications.

What are methanotrophs?

• Methanotrophs or methane-oxidizing bacteria oxidize this methane and build up their biomass, breathing oxygen and producing CO₂ and H₂O as we do.
• These are natural methane mitigating agents and are present in all environments where methane and oxygen both are available.
• Habitat: Wetlands, rice fields, ponds and other water bodies are the habitats where these grow in abundance.