[Study of the inhibitory effect of acetylene on the biological methane formation in a paddy soil (author's transl)].

A 0.05 atm partial pressure of acetylene stopped all the CH4 evolution during anaerobic paddy soil incubations when different carbon substances were added. It was shown proof that acetylene did not disturbe the volatil fatty acids yielding but prohibited the methane forming bacteria from doing future use of those. Acetylene does inhibit methane forming bacteria. Besides, the growth of a Methanosarcina strain was stopped by a 0.01 atm partial pressure of acetylene, and resting cells lost 98 per cent of their activity when the acetylene concentration was 0.5 x 10-3 M in the liquid. This acetylene inhibition can be used for studying the metabolism of methane forming bacteria.