Abstract
High-quality japonica rice, distinguished by its unique flavor and enriched nutritional value, has attracted significant attention across Asia. The over-application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers, however, is a growing concern, threatening both the rice quality and the environmental sustainability of its production. This situation calls for a reevaluation and modification of traditional agricultural practices. Our study investigates the effects of reduced N fertilizer use, complemented by foliar fertilizer application, on the physiological attributes and yield of high-quality japonica rice. The aim is to achieve efficient N use and enhanced crop productivity. The experiment employed ‘Sujing 1180’, a high-quality japonica rice cultivar, utilizing urea as the N source and a comprehensive macronutrient-rich water-soluble fertilizer for foliar application. Five treatments were established: conventional N application (270 kg ha− 1, N100), 10% N reduction (N90), 10% N reduction with foliar application (N90 + FF), 20% N reduction (N80), and 20% N reduction with foliar application (N80 + FF). These treatments were meticulously examined throughout various growth stages. Photosynthetic parameter analysis indicated that N90 + FF significantly boosted the net photosynthetic rate during the heading stage. N80 + FF maintained higher stomatal conductance at the maturity stage, suggesting that foliar fertilizer is effective in enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and stomatal conductance. In terms of N metabolism, N90 + FF notably increased the accumulation of nitrate N during the jointing stage, surpassing other treatments. While N90 and N80 showed reductions in both nitrate and ammonium N levels compared to N100, N90 + FF was particularly effective in elevating nitrate and ammonium N as well as free amino acid concentrations. Regarding N fertilizer efficiency, N90 + FF surpassed N100 across several critical parameters, specifically total N absorption, N recovery efficiency, N agronomic efficiency, and N physiological efficiency. Significantly, N90 + FF showed marked improvements in both N agronomic efficiency and N partial factor productivity. In examining yield and its components, the N90 + FF treatment achieved a higher yield of 9872.48 kg ha− 1, surpassing the 9383.75 kg ha− 1 of N100. N90 + FF had better results in seed-setting rate and average grain number per panicle, with its 1000-grain weight similar to that of N100. The N90 and N80 treatments, however, were less effective in terms of yield and its components. The integrated study findings demonstrate that a strategy incorporating moderate N reduction and foliar fertilizer application markedly optimizes rice photosynthesis, augments N metabolism, and enhances utilization efficiency, leading to increased yields. These insights are valuable for advancing precision agriculture, enhancing japonica rice production efficiency, and promoting sustainable farming.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFD1500404), the Yafu Science and Technology Service Project of Jiangsu Province, China (KF(23)1102), and the Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System Construction Project of Jiangsu Province, China (JATS[2023]109).
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Song, Y., Dong, M., Chen, F. et al. Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer Reduction Combined with Foliar Fertilizer Application on the Physiological Characteristics and Yield of High-Quality Japonica Rice. Int. J. Plant Prod. 18, 239–254 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-024-00287-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42106-024-00287-2