dep1 improves rice grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency simultaneously by enhancing nitrogen and dry matter translocation

The rice cultivars carrying dep1 (dense and erect panicle 1) have the potential to achieve both high grain yield and high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).  However, few studies have focused on the agronomic and physiological performance of those cultivars associated with high yield and high NUE under field conditions.  Therefore, we evaluated the yield performance and NUE of two near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying DEP1 (NIL-DEP1) and dep1-1 (NIL-dep1) genes under the Nanjing 6 background at 0 and 120 kg N ha^–1.  Grain yield and NUE for grain production (NUEg) were 25.5 and 21.9% higher in NIL-dep1 compared to NIL-DEP1 averaged across N treatments and planting years, respectively.  The yield advantage of NIL-dep1 over NIL-DEP1 was mainly due to larger sink size (i.e., higher total spikelet number), grain-filling percentage, total dry matter production, and harvest index.  N utilization rather than N uptake contributed to the high yield of NIL-dep1.  Significantly higher NUEg in NIL-dep1 was associated with higher N and dry matter translocation efficiency, lower leaf and stem N concentration at maturity, and higher glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in leaves.  In conclusion, dep1 improved grain yield and NUE by increasing N and dry matter transport due to higher leaf GS activity under field conditions during the grain-filling period.     

Grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency of an ultrashort-duration variety grown under different nitrogen and seeding rates in direct-seeded and double-season rice in Central China

Nitrogen(N) and seeding rates are important factors affecting grain yield and N use efficiency(NUE) in directseeded rice. However, these factors have not been adequately investigated on direct-seeded and double-season rice(DDR) in Central China. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various N and seeding rates on the grain yield and NUE of an ultrashort-duration variety grown under DDR. Field experiments were conducted in 2018 in Wuxue County and 2019 in Qichun County, Hubei...     

Substituting nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer with optimal amount of crop straw improves rice grain yield,nutrient use efficiency and soil carbon sequestration

Crop straw return after harvest is considered an important way to achieve both agronomic and environmental benefits.  However, the appropriate amount of straw to substitute for fertilizer remains unclear.  A field experiment was performed from 2016 to 2018 to explore the effect of different amounts of straw to substitute for fertilizer on soil properties, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, grain yield, yield components, nitrogen (N) use efficiency, phosphorus (P) use efficiency, N surplus, and P surplus after rice harvesting.  Relative to mineral fertilization alone, straw substitution at 5 t ha^–1 improved the number of spikelets per panicle, effective panicle, seed setting rate, 1 000-grain weight, and grain yield, and also increased the aboveground N and P uptake in rice.  Straw substitution exceeding 2.5 t ha^–1 increased the soil available N, P, and K concentrations as compared with mineral fertilization, and different amounts of straw substitution improved SOC storage compared with mineral fertilization.  Furthermore, straw substitution at 5 t ha^–1 decreased the N surplus and P surplus by up to 68.3 and 28.9%, respectively, compared to mineral fertilization.  Rice aboveground N and P uptake and soil properties together contributed 19.3% to the variation in rice grain yield and yield components.  Straw substitution at 5 t ha^–1, an optimal fertilization regime, improved soil properties, SOC storage, grain yield, yield components, N use efficiency (NUE), and P use efficiency (PUE) while simultaneously decreasing the risk of environmental contamination.     

Effects of nitrogen management on the ratoon crop yield and head rice yield in South USA

Ratoon rice cropping is an important component of the rice cropping system in Texas and south Louisiana, USA, and expanded to Asian countries in 1970. Two field studies were conducted with widely planted rice(Oryza sativa L.) cultivars at Eagle Lake, Texas, USA to determine the effects of nitrogen(N) management in main(first) crop(MC) and ratoon(second) crop(RC) on RC yield. In 2012 and 2013, one cultivar(Presidio) was adopted to determine the effects of RC N management on ratoon yield and head rice yield. In 2016 and 2017, CL153, CL163 and CL272 in addition to Presidio were adopted to examine the effect of MC N management on ratoon yield and head rice yield. N applied at preflood after MC harvest considerably improved RC yield. Application of 99 kg N ha–1 at preflood after MC harvest was practically adequate for RC regrowth, development and approaching the yield potential for Presidio. RC could produce quite high average grain yields of 5.90 to 6.53 t ha–1 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Main crop N rate only significantly affected MC yield; however, given N applied of 99 kg ha–1 at preflood after MC harvest, ratoon yield was not significantly affected by MC N rate. Neither the main nor ratoon crop N management had a significant effect on RC head rice yield. Considerable RC head rice yields(55–65%) were observed in all of the four cultivars and 4 years except for CL272 in 2016. These results indicat that without very high N fertilizer application, rice ratoon crop could produce a considerable grain yield and an expectative head rice yield. Rice ratooning could be a practical way to increase rice yields with the minimal input in south Texas and regions with a similar climate.     

Deciphering the morpho–physiological traits for high yield potential in nitrogen efficient varieties (NEVs): A japonica rice case study

The use of nitrogen (N)-efficient rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties could reduce excessive N input without sacrificing yields. However, the plant traits associated with N-efficient rice varieties have not been fully defined or comprehensively explored.  Here, three japonica N-efficient varieties (NEVs) and three japonica N-inefficient varieties (NIVs) of rice were grown in a paddy field under N omission (0 N, 0 kg N ha^–1) and normal N (NN, 180 or 200 kg N ha⁻¹) treatments.  Results showed that NEVs exhibited higher grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) than NIVs under both treatments, due to improved sink size and filled-grains percentage in the former which had higher root oxidation activity and greater root dry weight, root length and root diameter at panicle initiation (PI), as well as higher spikelet–leaf ratio and more productive tillers during the grain-filling stage.  Compared with NIVs, NEVs also exhibited enhanced N translocation and dry matter accumulation after heading and improved flag leaf morpho–physiological traits, including greater leaf thickness and specific leaf weight and higher contents of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, chlorophyll, nitrogen, and soluble sugars, leading to better photosynthetic performance.  Additionally, NEVs had a better canopy structure, as reflected by a higher ratio of the extinction coefficient for effective leaf N to the light extinction coefficient, leading to enhanced canopy photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation.  These improved agronomic and physiological traits were positively and significantly correlated with grain yield and internal NUE, which could be used to select and breed N-efficient rice varieties.     

Growth and nitrogen productivity of drip-irrigated winter wheat under different nitrogen fertigation strategies in the North China Plain

Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is the main cause of N loss and poor use efficiency in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the North China Plain (NCP).  Drip fertigation is considered to be an effective method for improving N use efficiency and reducing losses, while the performance of drip fertigation in winter wheat is limited by poor N scheduling.  A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth, development and yield of drip-fertigated winter wheat under different split urea (46% N, 240 kg ha^–1) applications.  The six treatments consisted of five fertigation N application scheduling programs and one slow-release fertilizer (SRF) application.  The five N scheduling treatments were N0–100 (0% at sowing and 100% at jointing/booting), N25–75 (25% at sowing and 75% at jointing and booting), N50–50 (50% at sowing and 50% at jointing/booting), N75–25 (75% at sowing and 25 at jointing/booting), and N100–0 (100% at sowing and 0% at jointing/booting).  The SRF (43% N, 240 kg ha^–1) was only used as fertilizer at sowing.  Split N application significantly (P<0.05) affected wheat grain yield, yield components, aboveground biomass (ABM), water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP).  The N50–50 and SRF treatments respectively had the highest yield (8.84 and 8.85 t ha^–1), ABM (20.67 and 20.83 t ha^–1), WUE (2.28 and 2.17 kg m^–3) and NPFP (36.82 and 36.88 kg kg^–1).  This work provided substantial evidence that urea-N applied in equal splits between basal and topdressing doses compete economically with the highly expensive SRF for fertilization of winter wheat crops.  Although the single-dose SRF could reduce labor costs involved with the traditional method of manual spreading, the drip fertigation system used in this study with the N50–50 treatment provides an option for farmers to maintain wheat production in the NCP.     

甬优系列籼粳杂交稻株高变化对氮素利用率的影响

研究常规施肥条件下,甬优系列籼粳杂交水稻株高变化对产量及氮肥利用效率的影响,以期为甬优系列杂交稻的品种选育和氮素高效管理提供指导。于2016年在浙东沿海单季稻区(象山县泗洲头镇)开展田间小区试验,以高秆型(甬优12和甬优15)、矮秆型(甬优538和甬优1540)和中高秆型(甬优7850和甬优2640)为材料,设置N₀(0 kg·hm^-2)和N₂₇₀(270 kg·hm^-2)2种施氮水平,比较不同株高水稻产量和氮素利用率差异。结果表明:不同施肥水平下,水稻产量均表现为甬优7850>甬优2640>甬优538>甬优1540、甬优12>甬优15,产量与最大分蘖数、有效穗呈显著正相关;施氮能显著提高各品种的株高、最大分蘖数和有效穗。不同品种氮肥当季利用率、氮肥农学利用率和偏生产力趋势不同,甬优12和甬优15的氮肥当季利用率分别达37.4%和36.4%,显著高于其他品种(<30%),而氮肥偏生产力显著低于甬优7850、甬优2640和甬优538,水稻氮收获指数以甬优12最低,植株中有较多的氮素成为奢侈吸收。施氮处理下,所有水稻品种均出现氮素盈余,甬优1540、甬优538、甬优15和甬优7850氮盈余量均大于60 kg·hm^-2,显著高于甬优2640和甬优12。因此,在浙东沿海地区常规栽培条件下,高秆型甬优系列水稻品种氮素当季利用率高于矮秆型和中高秆型,但由于生物量大、秸秆“奢侈”吸氮较多,产量反而低于中高秆型和矮秆型品种。     

“籼改粳”稻产势与化肥减量增效方法试验效果

江西省自2009年开始探索北粳南引，推进“籼改粳”稻工程。为验证“籼改粳”稻的产势，探索粳稻化肥减量增效施用方法，江西省景德镇市于2016年开展了“籼改粳”晚稻产势与化肥减量增效施用方法试验。试验结果显示，在相同施肥和同时收割条件下，粳稻‘甬优1538’比籼稻‘粤优9113’增产稻谷1450 kg/hm²、增16.06%。粳稻较籼稻产量高的原因在于粳稻每穗实粒数较多。试验结果显示，推荐施肥方法2比农户施肥方法节省氮磷钾养分123.9 kg/hm²、节省20.31%，增产稻谷483.75 kg/hm²、增4.67%，节本增效1765.35元/hm²、增7.87%，增收效果达显著水平。推荐施肥方法较农户施肥方法增产的主要原因在于促进了籽粒结实，增加了每穗实粒数。本次试验结果表明，粳稻较籼稻增产优势明显，推荐施肥方法较农户施肥方法节本增产增效。推荐施肥方法在氮磷钾养分协调及分蘖、孕穗施肥时间上更为合理，粳稻孕穗肥施用时间后移效果更佳。     

Sustainability of the rice–crayfish farming model in waterlogged land: A case study in Qianjiang County,Hubei Province,China

The rice–crayfish farming model has been rapidly developed and become an economically viable method to supply food in China in recent years.  However, its environmental and economic sustainability has not been thoroughly investigated.  This study uses a survey in 2016 and a field experiment in 2017 in Qianjiang, Hubei Province, China to assess the relative economics of concurrent rice–wheat (RW), rice–crayfish (RC), and crayfish monoculture (CM) models in waterlogged land areas.  The field survey indicated that the RC model had a higher benefit–cost ratio (3.5:1) than the RW (2.0:1) and CM (3.1:1) models and the RC model protected farmers’ enthusiasm for grain production facing unfavourable weather conditions.  The field experiment aimed to explore nitrogen management strategies in RC fields.  In the experiment, four levels of nitrogen concentration gradient - 0 kg N ha^–1 (0 N), 75 kg N ha^–1 (75 N), 150 kg N ha^–1 (150 N) and 225 kg N ha^–1 (225 N), were set in a 2-year-old rice–crayfish (RC2) field, an 8-year-old rice–crayfish (RC8) field, and a RW field as a control.  The field experiment results suggested that the peak  rice yield in RW, RC2, and RC8 occurred when 225 N, 150 N and 75 N were used, respectively.  In RC2 and RC8, however, residual feed-nitrogen that was not used by crayfish was utilized by rice plants.  Thus, an optimal amount of nitrogen in RC fields was proposed to improve the nitrogen use efficiency and reduce environmental pollution by nitrogen fertilizer.  Farmers use less nitrogen but have higher net income in RC than in RW and CM.  It is necessary to sustainably develop integrated farming technologies (i.e., proper field configurations for rice fields) to effectively sustain rice production.  The results also showed that the RC farming model was a viable diversification option for rice farmers in waterlogged land.       

Hole fertilization in the root zone facilitates maize yield and nitrogen utilization by mitigating potential N loss and improving mineral N accumulation

Reducing environmental impacts and improving N utilization are critical to ensuring food security in China.  Although root-zone fertilization has been considered an effective strategy to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the effect of controlled-release urea (CRU) applied in conjunction with normal urea in this mode is unclear.  Therefore, a 3-year field experiment was conducted using a no-N-added as a control and two fertilization modes (FF, furrow fertilization by manual trenching, i.e., farmer fertilizer practice; HF: root-zone hole fertilization by point broadcast manually) at 210 kg N ha^–1 (controlled-release:normal fertilizer=5:5), along with a 1-year in-situ microplot experiment.  Maize yield, NUE and N loss were investigated under different fertilization modes.  The results showed that compared with FF, HF improved the average yield and N recovery efficiency by 8.5 and 22.3% over three years, respectively.  HF had a greater potential for application than FF treatment, which led to increases in dry matter accumulation, total N uptake, SPAD value and LAI.  In addition, HF remarkably enhanced the accumulation of ¹⁵N derived from fertilizer by 17.2% compared with FF, which in turn reduced the potential loss of ¹⁵N by 43.8%.  HF increased the accumulation of N in the tillage layer of soils at harvest for potential use in the subsequent season relative to FF.  Hence, HF could match the N requirement of summer maize, sustain yield, improve NUE and reduce environmental N loss simultaneously.  Overall, root-zone hole fertilization with blended CRU and normal urea can represent an effective and promising practice to achieve environmental integrity and food security on the North China Plain, which deserves further application and investigation.     

减氮对甬优籼粳杂交稻产量和氮肥利用率的影响

于2017—2019年在浙东单季稻区2种类型土壤(象山淡塘泥田和鄞州青紫泥田)上开展定位试验,以4个甬优籼粳杂交稻品种(甬优1540、甬优7850、甬优12、甬优538)和2个常规粳稻品种(宁84和秀水134)为材料,设置HN(农民习惯施氮量,杂交稻折纯N 240 kg·hm^-2、常规稻折纯N 200 kg·hm^-2)、MN(在HN基础上减氮17%)、LN(在HN基础上减氮34%)和N0(不施氮对照)4个处理,研究不同处理下水稻产量和氮肥利用率的差异。结果表明,水稻产量在2个试验点均随着施氮量的减少而下降,MN处理下象山和鄞州的甬优籼粳杂交稻平均产量分别达10.8 t·hm^-2和9.9 t·hm^-2,仅比HN处理减少1.2%和2.6%,且无显著性差异;与HN相比,MN和LN处理下水稻有效穗在2个试验点均有一定程度的下降,但结实率和千粒重在象山试验点增加。相关性分析表明,甬优籼粳杂交稻产量在象山试验点(中等肥力)与有效穗、每穗粒数和高峰苗呈显著(P<0.05)正相关,而在鄞州试验点(高肥力)与有效穗、结实率和成穗率呈显著(P<0.05)正相关。对于中等肥力土壤,不同氮肥处理对甬优籼粳杂交稻的氮肥农学利用率无显著影响,但氮肥农学利用率随着试验年限的增加快速提升,表明在当地试验条件下,如不采取其他技术措施,持续减少氮肥投入存在一定风险。在浙东沿海地区常规单季稻栽培条件下,甬优系列籼粳杂交稻上氮肥施用量减少17%可以保证产量,但氮肥减量应综合考虑耕地基础地力、品种特性和肥料利用率等因素的长期效应。     

Millet/peanut intercropping at a moderate N rate increases crop productivity and N use efficiency,as well as economic benefits,under rain-fed conditions

Cereal and legume intercropping has been widely adopted to increase crop productivity in sustainable farming systems worldwide.  Among different intercropping combinations, millet and peanut intercropping can be adapted to most water-limited areas.  However, there are few studies on the differences in yield characteristics and nitrogen use efficiency between millet/peanut intercropping and monocultures under different nitrogen (N) application rates.  The objective of this study was to determine the yield advantages and economic benefits, as well as the appropriate N application rate, of millet/peanut intercropping.  A two-year field experiment was conducted with three cropping patterns (monoculture millet, monoculture peanut and millet/peanut intercropping) and four N rates (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg ha⁻¹).  The results showed that the land equivalent ratio (LER) and net effect (NE) of the intercropping system reached their highest levels at the N input of 150 kg ha⁻¹ in 2018 and 2019 (1.04 for LER, 0.347 Mg ha⁻¹ for NE, averaged across two years).  Millet was the dominant crop in the intercropping system (aggressivity of millet and peanut (Amp)>0, competitive ratio of millet and peanut (CRmp)>1), and millet yields achieved their highest values at N inputs of 225 kg ha⁻¹ for monoculture and 150 kg ha⁻¹ for intercropping.  NUE reached its highest levels with N inputs of 150 kg ha⁻¹ for all planting patterns over the two years.  Intercropping combined with an N input of 150 kg ha⁻¹ achieved the highest net income of 2 791 USD ha⁻¹, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.56, averaged over the two years.  From the perspective of economics and agricultural sustainable development, millet/peanut intercropping at 150 kg N ha⁻¹ seems to be a promising alternative to millet or peanut monoculture.     

Source–sink relations and responses to sink–source manipulations during grain filling in wheat

The source–sink ratio during grain filling is a critical factor that affects crop yield in wheat, and the main objective of this study was to determine the source–sink relations at both the canopy scale and the individual culm level under two nitrogen (N) levels at the post-jointing stage.  Nine widely-used cultivars were chosen for analyzing source–sink relations in southwestern China; and three typical cultivars of different plant types were subjected to artificial manipulation of the grain-filling source–sink ratio to supplement crop growth measurements.  A field experiment was conducted over two consecutive seasons under two N rates (N+, 150 kg ha^–1; N–, 60 kg ha^–1), and three manipulations were imposed after anthesis: control (Ct), removal of flag and penultimate leaves (Lr) and removal of spikelets on one side of each spike (Sr).  The results showed that the single grain weights in the three cultivars were significantly decreased by Lr and increased by Sr, which demonstrated that wheat grain yield potential seems more source-limited than sink-limited during grain filling, but the source–sink balance was obviously changed by climatic variations and N deficient environments.  Grain yield was highly associated with sink capacity (SICA), grain number, biomass, SPAD values, and leaf area index during grain filling, indicating a higher degree of source limitation with an increase in sink capacity.  Therefore, source limitation should be taken into account by breeders when SICA is increased, especially under non-limiting conditions.  Chuanmai 104, a half-compact type with a mid-sized spike and a long narrow upper leaf, showed relatively better performance in source–sink relations.  Since this cultivar showed the characteristics of a lower reduction in grain weight after Lr, a larger increase after Sr, and a lower reduction in post-anthesis dry matter accumulation, then the greater current photosynthesis during grain filling contributed to the grain after source and sink manipulation.      

Improving grain yield,nitrogen use efficiency and radiation use efficiency by dense planting,with delayed and reduced nitrogen application,in double cropping rice in South China

Improving both grain yield and resource use efficiencies simultaneously is a major challenge in rice production. However, few studies have focused on integrating dense planting with delayed and reduced nitrogen application to enhance grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and radiation use efficiency (RUE) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the double rice cropping system in South China. A high-yielding indica hybrid rice cultivar (Yliangyou 143) was grown in field experiments in Guangxi, South China, with three cultivation managements: farmers’ practice (FP), dense planting with equal N input and delayed N application (DPEN) and dense planting with reduced N input and delayed N application (DPRN). The grain yields of DPRN reached 10.6 and 9.78 t ha^–1 in the early and late cropping seasons, respectively, which were significantly higher than the corresponding yields of FP by 23.9–29.9%. The grain yields in DPEN and DPRN were comparable. NUE in DPRN reached 65.2–72.9 kg kg^–1, which was 61.2–74.1% higher than that in FP and 24.6–30.2% higher than that in DPEN. RUE in DPRN achieved 1.60–1.80 g MJ^–1, which was 28.6–37.9% higher than that in FP. The productive tiller percentage in DPRN was 7.9–36.2% higher than that in DPEN. Increases in crop growth rate, leaf area duration, N uptake from panicle initiation to heading and enhancement of the apparent transformation ratio of dry weight from stems and leaf sheaths to panicles all contributed to higher grain yield and higher resource use efficiencies in DPRN. Correlation analysis revealed that the agronomic and physiological traits mentioned above were significantly and positively correlated with grain yield. Comparison trials carried out in Guangdong in 2018 and 2019 also showed that DPRN performed better than DPEN. We conclude that DPRN is a feasible approach for simultaneously increasing grain yield, NUE and RUE in the double rice cropping system in South China.     

Review grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in rice production regions in China

As one of the staple food crops, rice(Oryza sativa L.) is widely cultivated across China, which plays a critical role in guaranteeing national food security. Most previous studies on grain yield or/and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE) of rice in China often involved site-specific field experiments, or small regions with insufficient data, which limited the representation for the current rice production regions. In this study, a database covering a wide range of climate conditions, soil types and field managements across China, was developed to estimate rice grain yield and NUE in various rice production regions in China and to evaluate the relationships between N rates and grain yield, NUE. According to the database for rice, the values of grain yield, plant N accumulation, N harvest index(HIN), indigenous N supply(INS), internal N efficiency(IE_N), reciprocal internal N efficiency(RIE_N), agronomic N use efficiency(AE_N), partial N factor productivity(PEPN), physiological N efficiency(PE_N), and recover efficiency of applied N(RE_N) averaged 7.69 t ha~(–1), 152 kg ha~(–1), 0.64 kg kg~(–1), 94.1 kg kg~(–1), 53.9 kg kg~(–1), 1.98 kg kg~(–1), 12.6 kg kg~(–1), 48.6 kg kg~(–1), 33.8 kg kg~(–1), and 39.3%, respectively. However, the corresponding values all varied tremendously with large variation. Rice planting regions and N rates had significant influence on grain yield, N uptake and NUE values. Considering all observations, N rates of 200 to 250 kg ha~(–1) commonly achieved higher rice grain yield compared to less than 200 kg N ha~(–1) and more than 250 kg N ha~(–1) at most rice planting regions. At N rates of 200 to 250 kg ha~(–1), significant positive linear relationships were observed between rice grain yield and AE_N, PE_N, RE_N, IE_N, and PFPN, and 46.49, 24.64, 7.94, 17.84, and 88.24% of the variation in AE_N, PE_N, RE_N, IE_N, and PFPN could be explained by grain yield, respectively. In conclusion, in a reasonable range of N application, an increase in grain yield can be achieved accompanying by an acceptable NUE.     

新型包膜控释尿素对水稻产量与氮肥利用率的影响

以晚粳稻‘秀水128’为供试水稻品种,在田间条件下,对金正大新型硫磺加树脂双层包膜控释尿素(SPCU)和树脂包膜控释尿素(PCU)对水稻产量及氮肥利用率的影响作了研究。结果表明：(1)与普通尿素 PU 70%(147 kg/hm² N)处理相比,等氮量一次性基施 SPCU 70%处理产量为 8 022.5 kg/hm²,显著提高 5.26%;氮肥利用率为 49.32%,显著提高 38.42%;(2)与普通尿素 PU 100%(210 kg/hm² N)相比,一次性基施 SPCU 70%处理产量无显著差异;氮肥利用率显著提高 33.69%;(3)相同施氮量下,SPCU产量与PCU无显著差异,但 SPCU比 PCU氮肥利用率显著增加。     

Optimal management of nitrogen fertilizer in the main rice crop and its carrying-over effect on ratoon rice under mechanized cultivation in Southeast China

This study attempted to clarify the carrying-over effect of different nitrogen treatments applied to the main crop on the crop population growth and yield formation of ratoon rice under mechanized cultivation in Southeast China.  Based on the constant total nitrogen application amounts (225.00 kg ha^–1) in the main crop, an experiment with different ratios of basal and topdressing nitrogen fertilizer (the ratio of basal fertilizer:primary tillering fertilizer:secondary tillering fertilizer:booting fertilizer at 3:1:2:4 (N1), 3:2:1:4 (N2), 3:3:0:4 (N3), and 4:3:0:3 (N4), respectively, and a control without nitrogen treatment (N0)) was set up across two consecutive years in field using hybrid rice variety Yongyou 1540 as the test materials.  The results showed that the total tiller number and effective tillering percentage increased in the main crop under the N1 treatment, more nitrogen fertilizer applied in late growth stage of the main crop, and its effective tillering percentage of the main crop was the highest at up to 70.18%, which was 9.15% higher than that of conventional fertilization treatment (N4), more nitrogen fertilizer applied in early growth stage of the main crop.  The same tendency was observed in leaf area index (LAI) value of the main crop and its subsequent ratoon rice, which were 16.52 and 29.87% higher, respectively, in the N1 treatment than that in the N4 treatment at the full heading stage.  The same was true in the case of the transport rates of stem and sheath dry mater and the canopy light interception rates in both the main and its ratoon crops.  The transport rate of stem and sheath in main crop rice under N1 treatment increased by 50.57% compared with N4 treatment.  The canopy light interception rate of N1 treatment increased by 5.07% compared with N4 treatment at the full heading stage of the ratoon crop.  Therefore, the total actual yield was the highest in the main and its ratoon crops under N1 treatment, averaging 17 351.23 kg ha^–1 in two-year trials, which was 23.00% higher than that in the conventional fertilization treatment (N4).  The results showed that appropriate nitrogen treatment was able to produce a good crop stand in the main crop, which was essential for producing a good ratoon crop population and high yield especially under mechanized cultivation with low stubble height of the main crop.  The study suggested that shifting the proper nitrogen application amounts to the late growth stage of the main crop, such as N1 treatment, not only had a higher productive effect on ensuring the yield of the main crop, but also had a positive effect on the axillary bud sprouts from the stubbles for ratoon rice, resulting in an increased percentage of productive panicles and achieving the goal of one planting with two good harvests under the conditions of our study.     

Grain yield and lodging-related traits of ultrashort-duration varieties for direct-seeded and double-season rice in Central China

Lodging is the most common constraint on grain yield of direct-seeded rice.  There is limited information about lodging resistance and its related plant traits in direct-seeded and double-season rice (DDR) in Central China.  This study aims  to identify the plant traits that achieve high lodging resistance in ultrashort-duration varieties (about 95 days) of DDR.  Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Wuxue County, Hubei Province, China, with four ultrashort-duration varieties grown under two nitrogen (N) rates.  Lodging-related traits were measured on the 15th day after heading, and yield and yield attributes were measured at maturity.  The grain yield of the four varieties ranged from 4.59 to 7.61 t ha^–1 across the two N rates, with a total growth duration of 85 to 97 days.  Varietal differences in lodging index were mainly explained by the bending moment, which was closely related to plant height.  Breaking resistance did not affect the lodging index significantly.  Shortening plant height from 95.4 to 80.5 cm decreased the lodging index by 22.4% but did not reduce grain yield.  Our results suggested that reducing plant height was effective in improving the lodging resistance of ultrashort-duration varieties of DDR.  Lodging resistance should be enhanced by improving breaking resistance rather than reducing plant height to increase DDR grain yield further.     

High quality and high efficiency fertilization of rice

正Rice (Oryza sativa L.), one essential staple cereal, feeds over 60%of the world’s population (FAO 2020). As the global population grows, improving rice yield becomes an effective strategy to achieve food security (Deng et al. 2019).The use of chemical fertilizer, especially N fertilizer,has historically played a critical role in the growth of rice yield (Zhang et al. 2015; Wood et al. 2020). However,     

The Nutrient Expert decision support system improves nutrient use efficiency and environmental performance of radish in North China

Excessive fertilization has led to nutrient use inefficiency and serious environmental consequences for radish cultivation in North China.  The Nutrient Expert (NE) system is a science-based, site-specific fertilization decision support system, but the updated NE system for radish has rarely been evaluated.  This study aims to validate the feasibility of NE for radish fertilization management from agronomic, economic, and environmental perspectives.  A total of 46 field experiments were conducted over four seasons from April 2018 to November 2019 across the major radish growing regions in North China.  The results indicated that NE significantly reduced N, P₂O₅, and K₂O application rates by 98, 110, and 47 kg ha⁻¹ relative to those in the farmers’ practice (FP), respectively, and reduced N and P₂O₅ inputs by 48 and 44 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, while maintaining the same K₂O rate as soil testing (ST).  Relative to FP and ST, NE significantly increased radish yield by 2.7 and 2.6 t ha⁻¹ (4.2 and 4.0%) and net returns by 837 and 432 USD ha⁻¹, respectively.  On average, NE significantly improved the agronomic efficiency (AE) of N, P, and K (relative to FP and ST) by 42.4 and 31.0, 67.4 kg kg⁻¹ and 50.9, and 20.3 and 12.3 kg kg⁻¹; enhanced the recovery efficiency (RE) of N, P, and K by 11.4 and 7.0, 14.1 and 7.5, and 11.3 and 6.3 percentage points; and increased the partial factor productivity (PFP) of N, P, and K by 162.9 and 96.8, 488.0 and 327.3, and 86.9 and 22.4 kg kg⁻¹, respectively.  Furthermore, NE substantially reduced N and P₂O₅ surpluses by 105.1 and 115.1 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, and decreased apparent N loss by 110.8 kg ha⁻¹ compared to FP.  These results indicated that the NE system is an effective and feasible approach for improving NUE and promoting cleaner radish production in North China.