Response of aerobic rice growth and grain yield to N fertilizer at two contrasting sites near Beijing,China

In the system of “aerobic rice”, especially adapted aerobic rice varieties are grown under non-flooded conditions in non-puddled and aerobic soils with supplemental irrigation and moderate external inputs. Limited research has been done so far on optimizing nutrient management to produce high yields. In this study, we investigated yield formation and dry matter translocation of aerobic rice cultivar HD297 in response to N application, grown under different irrigation regimes at two sites close to Beijing, North China. At the “experimental farm”, the groundwater table depth was 0.2–1 m; at the “experimental station”, it was deeper than 2 m. Fertilizer-N rates were 0, 75, and 150 kg N ha⁻¹ applied in split dressings according to regional recommendations for lowland rice, with 30% being applied at sowing, 40% at tillering, and 30% at panicle initiation.