| Abstract: | China imports most of its potassium (K) requirements for crop production. The objective of this study was to evaluate indica rice hybrids for K‐use efficiency. Twenty‐eight indica rice hybrids were evaluated in nutrient solution. The K influx rate was greatest in genotype Weiyou 64 (684.9 nmol K+ plant?1 h?1) and least in genotype Xie A/909 (457.2 nmol K+ plant?1 h?1). The K‐use efficiency was greatest in genotype ShanA/909 [81.8 mg dry matter (DM) produced per mg K taken up] and least in genotype Shanyou 64 (55.9 mg mg?1). The maximum biomass was produced by genotype Shan A/4663‐5 (100.8 mg DM per plant), and the least biomass was produced by genotype Xie A/4663‐4 (59.1 mg DM per plant). These results suggest that K shortage for rice production can be alleviated by using K‐efficient rice genotypes. |
