Non-leguminous winter cover crop and nitrogen rate in relation to double rice grain yield and nitrogen uptake in Dongting Lake Plain, Hunan Province, China

Annual ryegrass（Lolium multiflorum Lam.）, a non-leguminous winter cover crop, has been adopted to absorb soil native N to minimize N loss from an intensive double rice cropping system in southern China, but a little is known about its effects on rice grain yield and rice N use efficiency. In this study, effects of ryegrass on double rice yield, N uptake and use efficiency were measured under different fertilizer N rates. A 3-year（2009–2011） field experiment arranged in a split-plot design was undertaken. Main plots were ryegrass（RG） as a winter cover crop and winter fallow（WF） without weed. Subplots were three N treatments for each rice season： 0（N_0）, 100（N_（100）） and 200 kg N ha–1（N_（200））. In the 3-year experiment, RG reduced grain yield and plant N uptake for early rice（0.4–1.7 t ha–1 for grain yield and 4.6–20.3 kg ha–1 for N uptake） and double rice（0.6–2.0 t ha–1 for grain yield and 6.3–27.0 kg ha–1 for N uptake） when compared with WF among different N rates. Yield and N uptake decrease due to RG was smaller in N_（100） and N_（200） plots than in N_0 plots. The reduction in early rice grain yield in RG plots was associated with decrease number of panicles. Agronomic N use efficiency and fertilizer N recovery efficiency were higher in RG plots than winter fallow for early rice and double rice among different N rates and experimental years. RG tended to have little effect on grain yield, N uptake, agronomic N use efficiency, and fertilizer N recovery efficiency in the late rice season. These results suggest that ryegrass may reduce grain yield while it improves rice N use efficiency in a double rice cropping system.

Influence of High Temperature Stress on Net Photosynthesis, Dry Matter Partitioning and Rice Grain Yield at Flowering and Grain Filling Stages

Climate change is recognized to increase the frequency and severity of extreme temperature events. At flowering and grain filling stages, risk of high temperature stress （HTS） on rice might increase, and lead to declining grain yields. A regulated cabinet experiment was carried out to investigate effects of high temperature stress on rice growth at flowering and grain- filling stages. Results showed that no obvious decrease pattern in net photosynthesis appeared along with the temperature rising, but the dry matter allocation in leaf, leaf sheath, culm, and panicle all changed. Dry weight of panicle decreased, and ratio of straw to total above ground crop dry weight increased 6-34% from CK, which might have great effects on carbon cycling and green house gas emission. Grain yield decreased significantly across all treatments on average from 15 to 73%. Occurrence of HTS at flowering stage showed more serious influence on grain yield than at grain filling stage. High temperature stress showed negative effects on harvest index. It might be helpful to provide valuable information for crop simulation models to capture the effects of high temperature stress on rice, and evaluate the high temperature risk.

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.

Effects of Plant Density and Nitrogen Application Rate on Grain Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Super Hybrid Rice

The nitrogen uptake, yield and its components for two super-high-yielding hybrid rice combinations, Guodao 6 and Eryou 7954 were investigated under different plant densities （15, 18, and 21 plants/m^2） and different nitrogen application rates （120, 150, 180, and 210 kg/hm^2）. The experiment was conducted on loam soil during 2004-2006 at the experimental farm of the China National Rice Research Institute in Hangzhou, China. In these years, the two hybrid rice cleady showed higher yield at a plant density of 15 plants/m^2 with a nitrogen application rate of 180 kg/hm^2. Guodao 6 produced an average grain yield of 10 215.6 kg/hm^2 across the three years, while the yield of Eryou 7954 was 9 633.0 kg/hm^2. With fewer plants per unit-area and larger plants in the plots, the two hybrid rice produced more panicles per plant in three years. The highest nitrogen uptake of the two hybrid rice was at a plant density of 15 plants/m^2 with a nitrogen application rate of 180 kg/hm^2. Further increasing nitrogen application rate was not advantageous for nitrogen uptake in super-high-yielding rice under the same plant density.

Changes in Grain Yield of Rice and Emission of Greenhouse Gases from Paddy Fields after Application of Organic Fertilizers Made from Maize Straw

A field experiment was conducted at the farm of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China, to study the effects of organic fertilizers made from maize straw on rice grain yield and the emission of greenhouse gases. Four organic fertilizer treatments were as follows： maize straw （MS）, compost made from maize straw （MC）, methane-generating maize residue （MR）, and black carbon made from maize straw （BC）. These organic fertilizers were applied separately to paddy fields before rice transplanting. No organic fertilizer was applied to the control （CK）. The effects of each organic fertilizer on rice grain yield and emission of greenhouse gases were investigated under two conditions, namely, no nitrogen （N） application （ON） and site-specific N management （SSNM）. Rice grain yields were significantly higher in the MS, MC and MR treatments than those in CK under either ON or SSNM. The MS treatment resulted in the highest grain yield and agronomic N use efficiency. However, no significant difference was observed for these parameters between the BC treatment and CK. The changes in the emissions of methane （CH4） carbon dioxide （CO2）, or nitrous oxide （N20） from the fields were similar among all organic fertilizer treatments during the entire rice growing season. The application of each organic fertilizer significantly increased the emission of each greenhouse gas （except N20 emission in the BC treatment） and global warming potential （GWP）. Emissions of all the greenhouse gases and GWP increased under the same organic fertilizer treatment in the presence of N fertilizer, whereas GWP per unit grain yield decreased. The results indicate that the application of organic fertilizer （MS, MC or MR） could increase grain yield, but also could enhance the emissions of greenhouse gases from paddy fields. High grain yield and environmental efficiency could be achieved by applying SSNM with MR.

Continuous applications of biochar to rice: Effects on grain yield and yield attributes

Biochar is considered as a beneficial soil amendment for crop production. However, limited information is available on the effects of continuous applications of biochar on rice. In this study, a fixed field experiment was conducted in the early and late rice-growing seasons from 2015 to 2017. Grain yield and yield attributes with a widely-grown rice cultivar Zhongzao 39 were compared, with and without applications of biochar in each season. The results showed that grain yield initially decreased with biochar applications in the first three seasons due to decreases in grain weight and harvest index. Although there were further relative decreases in grain weight and harvest index for rice that was supplied with biochar in the fourth to sixth seasons, grain yield was increased(by 4–10%) because of increases in sink size(spikelets per m2) and total biomass. The increased sink size in rice whose soil had been supplied with biochar in the fourth to sixth seasons was achieved by increasing panicle size(spikelets per panicle) or number of panicles, or both. Our study suggests that the positive effects of biochar application on rice yield and yield attributes depend on the duration of biochar application. Further investigations are needed to determine what are the soil and physiological processes for producing yield responses associated with ongoing applications of biochar. Also, it should be evaluated the performance of biochar application combined with other management practices, especially those can increase the grain weight and harvest index in rice production.

Performance in Grain Yield and Physiological Traits of Rice in the Yangtze River Basin of China During the Last 60 yr

Knowledge on the performance in grain yield and physiological traits is essential to understand the main yield-limiting factor and make strategies for breeding and crop management in rice （Oryza sativa L.）. This study investigated the changes in grain yield and associated physiological traits of rice in the Yangtze River Basin of China during the last 60 yr. Thirteen mid-season indica and 12 japonica rice cultivars that were popularly used were grown in the field in 2008 and 2009. The grain yield and yield components, biomass, leaf area, leaf photosynthesis, root oxidation activity, and harvest index were examined. The results showed that grain yield and grain yield per day have progressively increased during the years and such increases are mainly attributed to the expanded sink size as a result of more spikelets per panicle, especially for the case of super rice. Both biomass and harvest index were increased with the improvement of cultivars. Increase in biomass for modern rice cultivars was associated with an enhancement of leaf area and photosynthesis, root dry weight, and root oxidation activity, although the indica super rice cultivars showed a lower leaf photosynthetic rate and root oxidation activity than the semi-dwarf cultivars during the grain filling period. Both indica and japonica super rice cultivars exhibited a low percentage of filled grains, which may limit their great yield potential. All the data suggested that grain yield have been substantially improved during the 60 yr of rice breeding in the Yangtze River Basin. Expanded sink size, increased dry matter production and harvest index, and enhanced leaf area and photosynthesis, root dry weight, and root oxidation activity contribute to the improvement in grain yield. Increase in filling efficiency could realize the great yield potential in super rice.

Difference in Grain Yield and Quality among Tillers in Rice Genotypes Differing in Tillering Capacity

A japonica variety and its iso-allelic mutant with high tillering ability were used to investigate the differences in grain yield and quality among different tillers. There was a distinct difference in panicle weight among tillers during grain filling for both genotypes, with Xiushui 11 having a greater increase rate in panicle weight, and being earlier in reaching the maximum panicle weight than the mutant. There was a great significant difference between the two genotypes in grain yield and its components, with Xiushui 11 having higher grain yield, more grains per panicle, higher filled grain percentage and grain weight than the mutant for each type of tiller. Moreover, a significant difference was found in grain yield and yield components among different tillers for both genotypes, with grain number per panicle showing the greatest variation over tillers among all yield components. Compared with Xiushui 11, the mutant had higher brown rice rate and greater ratio of length to width of brown rice, and lower chalky rice rate, amylose content, and protein content of rice. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in grain quality among tillers within a plant for both genotypes, with later initiated tillers being lower in chalky rice rate, amylose and protein contents than early initiated ones. The variation of most quality parameters among tillers within a plant was markedly larger for the mutant than for Xiushui 11.

Effects of Lodging at Different Filling Stages on Rice Yield and Grain Quality

The effects of lodging of rice plants from 20 d after full heading to maturity on yield and grain quality were investigated with a hybrid rice combination Liangyoupeijiu and a japonica rice cultivar CY-6. The results showed that, except for brown rice rate, almost all parameters for yield and grain quality including ratio of grain length to grain width, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency, were significantly influenced by lodging and thus deteriorated. Regression analysis suggested that, lodging one day earlier at the grain-filling stage could cause 2.66% to 2.71% of yield loss, 1.8 to 2.6 percentage points decrease of seed-setting rate, 0.26 to 0.32 g reduction of lO00-grain weight, 0.097 to 0. 155 percentage point decline of milled rice rate, as well as 0.13 to 0.27 percentage point increase of chalky grain rate, and 0.021 to 0.024 percentage point rise of protein content, and subsequently lower the eating quality.

Optimizing integrative cultivation management improves grain quality while increasing yield and nitrogen use efficiency in rice

A major challenge in rice(Oryza sativa L.)production is to cope with increasing grain yield and fertilizer use efficiency without compromising grain quality.This study was designed to determine if optimizing integrative cultivation management in rice could improve grain quality while increase yield and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE).An indica-japonica hybrid rice cultivar and a japonica rice cultivar were grown in the field,with five cultivation managements including no N application(0 N),local farmer's practice(LFP),and three optimizi ng in teg rati ve cultivati on managements,reducing N rate and increasi ng plant density(ND),ND+alternate wetting and moderate soil drying irrigation(NDW),and NDW+applying rapeseed cake fertilizer(NDWR).The results showed that the optimizi ng integrative cultivati on man ageme nts could not only in crease grain yield,but also enhance NUE compared to LFP.Compared to LFP,NDWR sign ifica ntly in creased brow n,milled,head milled rice rate,ratio of the kern el le ngth to breadth and breakdown value of starch,whereas decreased amylose content,gel consiste ncy,prolamin con tent,setback value,perce ntage of chalky kern els,and chalki ness.The three optimizing in tegrative cultivation managements increased con tents of total protei ns,albumin and glutelin,activities of the key enzymes involved in the sucrose-starch con version in grains,root oxidati on activity,and malic and succinic acid concentrations in root exudates during the grain-filling period.The results suggested that optimizing integrative cultivation managements could improve grain quality meanwhile increase grain yield and NUE by enhancing physiological activities of rice plants.

Rice-duck co-culture benefits grain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline accumulation and quality and yield enhancement of fragrant rice

Rice-duck co-culture is an integrated farming technology that benefits rice production, grain quality, and ecological sustainability in paddy fields. However, little is known about the effects of rice-duck co-culture on enzyme activity involved in the biosynthesis of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), the volatile that gives fragrant rice its' distinctive and sought-after aroma. The present study aimed to examine the influence of rice-duck co-culture on the photosynthesis, yield, grain quality, rice aroma, and the enzymes involved in 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline biosynthesis in the cultivar Meixiangzhan 2 during the early and late rice growing seasons of 2016 in Guangzhou, China. We compared the rice grown in paddy fields with and without ducks. We found that rice-duck co-culture not only improved the yield and quality of fragrant rice grain, but also promoted the precursors of 2-AP biosynthesis formation and 2-AP accumulation in the grain. Grain 2-AP content in rice-duck co-culture was noticeably increased with 9.60% and 20.81% in early and late seasons, respectively. Proline and pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (P5C) (precursors of 2-AP biosynthesis) and the activity of enzymes such as proline dehydrogenase (ProDH), ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) and Δ1 pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid synthetase (P5CS) were all improved by 10.15%–12.99%, 32.91%–47.75%, 17.81%–26.71%, 6.25%–21.78%, and 10.58%–38.87% under rice-duck co-culture in both seasons, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that rice-duck co-culture is an environmentally-friendly and sustainable approach to improving rice aroma and grain quality of fragrant rice.

Why high grain yield can be achieved in single seedling machine-transplanted hybrid rice under dense planting conditions?

This study was conducted to identify the factors associated with high grain yield in single seedling machine-transplanted hybrid rice under dense planting conditions. Field experiments were done in Yong＇an Town, Hunan Province, China in 2015 and 2016. Two hybrid rice cultivars were grown under single seedling machine transplanting （SMT） and conventional machine transplanting （CMT） at a high planting density in each year. Grain yield and yield attributes were compared between SMT and CMT. Averaged across cultivars and years, grain yield was 12％ higher under SMT than under CMT. Plant height, basal stem width, and shoot and root dry weights were higher in seedlings for SMT than those for CMT. SMT had less maximum tiller number per m2 and consequently less panicle number per m2 than did CMT. Branch number per panicle, especially the secondary branch number per panicle, and spikelet number per cm of panicle length were more under SMT than under CMT, which resulted in more spikelet number per panicle under SMT than under CMT. SMT had higher or equal spikelet filling percentage than did CMT. The difference in grain weight between SMT and CMT was relatively small and inconsistent cross years. SMT had higher or equal total biomass and harvest index than did CMT. Dry weight per stem under SMT was heavier than that under CMT. Larger leaf area per stem was partly responsible for the heavier dry weight per stem under SMT than under CMT. Our study suggests that improvement in seedling quality, panicle size, and dry weight per stem are critical to the high grain yield in single seedling machine-transplanted hybrid rice under dense planting conditions.

Effects of Low Light on Agronomic and Physiological Characteristics of Rice Including Grain Yield and Quality

Light intensity is one of the most important environmental factors that determine the basic characteristics of rice development. However, continuously cloudy weather or rainfall, especially during the grain-filling stage, induces a significant loss in yield and results in poor grain quality. Stress caused by low light often creates severe meteorological disasters in some rice-growing regions worldwide. This review was based on our previous research and related research regarding the effects of low light on rice growth, yield and quality as well as the formation of grain, and mainly reviewed the physiological metabolism of rice plants, including characteristics of photosynthesis, activities of antioxidant enzymes in rice leaves and key enzymes involved in starch synthesis in grains, as well as the translocations of carbohydrate and nitrogen. These characteristics include various grain yield and rice quality components （milling and appearance as well as cooking, eating and nutritional qualities） under different rates of shading imposed at the vegetative or reproductive stages of rice plants. Furthermore, we discussed why grain yield and quality are reduced under the low light environment. Next, we summarized the need for future research that emphasizes methods can effectively improve rice grain yield and quality under low light stress. These research findings can provide a beneficial reference for rice cultivation management and breeding program in low light environments.

ABNORMAL FLOWER AND GRAIN 1 encodes OsMADS6 and determines palea identity and affects rice grain yield and quality

The palea and lemma are floral organ structures unique to grasses;these structures form the hull and directly affect grain size and quality. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the development of the hull are not well understood. In this study, we characterized the rice(Oryza sativa) abnormal flower and grain1(afg1) mutant, a new allele of OsMADS6. Similar to previously characterized osmads6 alleles, in the afg1 floret, the palea lost its marginal region and acquired the lemma identity. However, in contrast to other osmads6 alleles, the afg1 mutant showed altered grain size and grain quality, with decreased total starch and amylose contents, and increased protein and soluble sugar contents. The analysis of transcriptional activity suggested that AFG1 is a transcriptional activator and may affect grain size by regulating the expression levels of several genes related to cell expansion and proliferation in the afg1 mutant. These results revealed that AFG1 plays an important role in determining palea identity and affecting grain yield and quality in rice.

Influence of Organic and Inorganic Nitrogen on Grain Yield andYield Components of Hybrid Rice in Northwestern Pakistan

Field experiments were conducted to assess the impact of various organic sources, inorganicnitrogen （N） and the different combinations of inorganic N （urea） ＋ organic source on the yieldcomponents （YC） and grain yield （GY） of hybrid rice （Oryza sativa L., Pukhraj） under rice-wheat system.The experiments were conducted at Batkhela （Malakand）, Northwestern Pakistan, in 2011 and 2012.Our results revealed that YC and GY ranked first for the hybrid rice when applied with sole inorganic N（urea）, followed by the application of N in mixture （urea ＋ organic sources）, while the control plots （no Napplied） ranked in the bottom. Among the six organic sources （three animal manures： poultry, sheepand cattle; three crop residues： onion, berseem and wheat）, application of N in the form of poultrymanure was superior in terms of higher YC and GY. When applying 120 kg/hm2 N source, 75% N fromurea ＋ 25% N from organic source resulted in higher YC and GY in 2011, while applying 50% N fromurea ＋ 50% N from organic sources caused higher YC and GY in 2012. Therefore, the combinedapplication of N sources in the form of urea ＋ organic source can produce good performances in termsof higher YC and GY of rice under rice-wheat cropping system.

Grain yield and water use efficiency of super rice under soil water deficit and alternate wetting and drying irrigation

This study investigated if super rice could better cope with soil water deficit and if it could have better yield performance and water use efficiency （WUE） under alternate wetting and drying （AWD） irrigation than check rice. Two super rice cultivars and two elite check rice cultivars were grown in pots with three soil moisture levels, well watered （WW）, moderate water deficit （MWD） and severe water deficit （SWD）. Two cultivars, each for super rice and check rice, were grown in field with three irrigation regimes, alternate wetting and moderate drying （AWMD）, alternate wetting and severe drying （AWSD） and conventional irrigation （CI）. Compared with that under WW, grain yield was significantly decreased under MWD and SWD treatments, with less reduction for super rice than for check rice. Super rice had higher percentage of productive tillers, deeper root distribution, higher root oxidation activity, and greater aboveground biomass production at mid and late growth stages than check rice, especially under WMD and WSD. Compared with CI,AWMD increased, whereasAWSD decreased grain yield, with more increase or less decrease for super rice than for check rice. Both MWD and SWD treatments and eitherAWMD orAWSD regime significantly increased WUE compared with WW treatment or CI regime, with more increase for super rice than for check rice. The results suggest that super rice has a stronger ability to cope with soil water deficit and holds greater promising to increase both grain yield and WUE by adoption of moderate AWD irrigation.

Enhancement of Growth and Grain Yield of Rice in Nutrient Deficient Soils by Rice Probiotic Bacteria

Plant associated bacteria are promising alternatives to chemical fertilizers for plant growth and yield improvement in an eco-friendly manner.In this study,rice associated bacteria were isolated and assessed for mineral phosphate solubilization and indole-3-acetic acid(IAA) production activity in vitro.Six promising strains,which were tentatively identified as phylotaxon Pseudochrobactrum sp.(BRRh-1),Burkholderia sp.(BRRh-2),Burkholderia sp.(BRRh-3),Burkholderia sp.(BRRh-4),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(BRRh-5 and BRRh-6) based on their 16 S rRNA gene phylogeny,exhibited significant phosphate solubilizing activity in National Botanical Research Institute phosphate growth medium,and BRRh-4 displayed the highest phosphate solubilizing activity,followed by BRRh-5.The p H of the culture broth declined,resulting in increase of growth rate of bacteria at p H 7,which might be due to organic acid secretion by the strains.In presence of L-tryptophan,five isolates synthesized IAA and the maximum IAA was produced by BRRh-2,followed by BRRh-1.Application of two most efficient phosphate solubilizing isolates BRRh-4 and BRRh-5 by root dipping(colonization) of seedling and spraying at the flowering stage significantly enhanced the growth and grain yield of rice variety BRRI dhan-29.Interestingly,application of both strains with 50% of recommended nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium fertilizers produced equivalent or higher grain yield of rice compared to the control grown with full recommended fertilizer doses,which suggests that these strains may have the potential to be used as bioinoculants for sustainable rice production.

Influence of Crop Nutrition on Grain Yield,Seed Quality and Water Productivity under Two Rice Cultivation Systems

The system of rice intensification （SRI） is reported to have advantages like lower seed requirement,less pest attack,shorter crop duration,higher water use efficiency and the ability to withstand higher degree of moisture stress than traditional method of rice cultivation.With this background,SRI was compared with traditional transplanting technique at Indian Agricultural Research Institute,New Delhi,India during two wet seasons （2009-2011）.In the experiment laid out in a factorial randomized block design,two methods of rice cultivation [conventional transplanting （CT） and SRI] and two rice varieties （Pusa Basmati 1 and Pusa 44） were used under seven crop nutrition treatments,viz.T 1,120 kg/hm2 N,26.2 kg/hm2 P and 33 kg/hm2 K;T 2,20 t/hm2 farmyard manure （FYM）;T 3,10 t/hm2 FYM＋ 60 kg/hm2 N;T 4,5 t/hm2 FYM＋ 90 kg/hm2 N;T 5,5 t/hm2 FYM＋ 60 kg/hm2 N＋ 1.5 kg/hm2 blue green algae （BGA）;T 6,5 t/hm2 FYM＋ 60 kg/hm2 N＋ 1.0 t/hm2 Azolla,and T 7,N 0 P 0 K 0 （control,no NPK application） to study the effect on seed quality,yield and water use.In SRI,soil was kept at saturated moisture condition throughout vegetative phase and thin layer of water （2-3 cm） was maintained during the reproductive phase of rice,however,in CT,standing water was maintained in crop growing season.Results revealed that CT and SRI gave statistically at par grain yield but straw yield was significantly higher in CT as compared to SRI.Seed quality was superior in SRI as compared to CT.Integrated nutrient management （INM） resulted in higher plant height with longer leaves than chemical fertilizer alone in both the rice varieties.Grain yield attributes such as number of effective tillers per hill,panicle length and panicle weight of rice in both the varieties were significantly higher in INM as compared to chemical fertilizer alone.Grain yields of both the varieties were the highest in INM followed by the recommended doses of chemical fertilizer.The grain yield and its attributes of Pusa 44 were significantly higher than those of Pusa Basmati 1.The seed quality parameters like germination rate and vigor index as well as N uptake and soil organic carbon content were higher in INM than those in chemical fertilizer alone.CT rice used higher amount of water than SRI,with water saving of 37.6% to 34.5% in SRI.Significantly higher water productivity was recorded in SRI as compared to CT rice.

Use of Selection Indices Based on Multivariate Analysis for Improving Grain Yield in Rice

In order to study selection indices for improving rice grain yield, a cross was made between an Iranian traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) variety, Tarommahalli and an improved indica rice variety, Khazar in 2006. The traits of the parents (30 plants), F1 (30 plants) and F2 generations (492 individuals) were evaluated at the Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII) during 2007. Heritabilities of the number of panicles per plant, plant height, days to heading and panicle exsertion were greater than that of grain yield. The selection indices were developed using the results of multivariate analysis. To evaluate selection strategies to maximize grain yield, 14 selection indices were calculated based on two methods (optimum and base) and combinations of 12 traits with various economic weights. Results of selection indices showed that selection for grain weight, number of panicles per plant and panicle length by using their phenotypic and/or genotypic direct effects (path coefficient) as economic weights should serve as an effective selection criterion for using either the optimum or base index.

No-tillage effects on grain yield and nitrogen requirements in hybrid rice transplanted with single seedlings: Results of a long-term experiment

This study was conducted to determine whether,and if so how,the grain yield and nitrogen(N) requirements of hybrid rice transplanted as single seedlings are affected by no-tillage(NT) practices.A fixed field experiment was done at the Experimental Farm of Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha,Hunan Province,China,from 2004 to 2014.Grain yield and yield attributes(panicle number per m2,spikelet number per panicle,spikelet filling percentage,grain weight,total biomass,and harvest index) were evaluated as well as the N-use characteristics(total N uptake,internal N-use efficiency,and N requirements) of hybrid rice transplanted as single seedlings comparing NT with conventional tillage(CT).A significant finding was that there were no significant differences in grain yield,yield attributes,and N-use characteristics between CT and NT.Averaged across the 11 years,grain yield and N requirements were 9.51 t ha^(-1) and 20.2 kg t^(-1) under CT and 9.33 t ha^(-1) and 20.0 kg t^(-1) under NT,respectively.There were significant yearly variations in grain yield,yield attributes,and N-use characteristics observed under both CT and NT.The yearly variation in grain yield was related to simultaneous changes in spikelet number per panicle,grain weight,total biomass,and harvest index.Also,it was found that grain yield was positively correlated with internal N-use efficiency but negatively correlated with N requirements.It is concluded that grain yield and N requirements in hybrid rice when transplanted as single seedlings are not affected adversely by NT.The results of this study suggest that(1) compatible relationships among yield attributes can be established in hybrid rice that is transplanted as single seedlings,and(2) higher grain yield and higher N-use efficiency can be concurrently achieved in hybrid rice transplanted as single seedlings.