Indica rice restorer lines with large sink potential exhibit improved nutrient transportation to the panicle,which enhances both yield and nitrogen-use efficiency

The yield and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)of hybrid rice combinations are closely related to restorer line.Therefore,it is essential to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of restorer lines with high yield and high NUE(HYHN).However,it is unclear which restorer lines are HYHN,and neither have the common agronomic traits of the HYHN restorer lines been identified.Aiming to address this issue,we conducted two filed experiments using three nitrogen applications,which screened five HYHN restorer lines from 15 indica restorer lines.Yield,NUE and nutrient transportation of restorer lines with different yields and NUE types were examined.Yield and total nitrogen absorption in aboveground biomass(TNA)increased,whereas NUE for grain production decreased with increasing nitrogen application levels.The HYHN restorer lines had large spikelets and high weight per panicle that were significantly positively correlated with yield and NUE.Therefore,large sink potential may be beneficial for both yield and NUE.We further studied the differences in nutrient transportation to panicles between the HYHN and low yield and low NUE(LYLN)restorer lines and found that the former had a higher nitrogen absorption level and dry matter weight ratios of panicle in maturity.Moreover,the HYHN lines also had a higher root and neck-panicle node bleeding intensity per stem after heading and more developed vascular bundles of neck-panicle nodes and leaves than the LYLN lines,which could contribute to the transportation of nutrients from root to ground and from stem and leaf to spike.Therefore,the advantages of large sink potential of the HYHN restorer lines include large nutrient accumulation in and distribution to the panicles and smooth flow of nutrients along the transportation channels.

Important Progress Made in the Study of Chinese Geological Carbon Sink Potential

From 2010 to 2012, geologists at the Institute of Karst Geology the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences carried out the ＂Chinese Geological Carbon Sink Projects Research＂. They did investigation and research work according to three aspects of carbon sink： karst, soil, and mineral, and achieved important results.

Relationship between Grain Yield and Yield Components of Various Rice Cultivars

[Objective] The relationship between grain yield and yield components was investigated in .different rice cultivars at the target yield of 10.5-11.25 t/hm2, to provide theoretical basis for cultivation of high-yield rice. [Method] The yield performance of various super rice and non-super rice cultivars that were cultivated in large area in Sichuan Chengdu was studied under high-yielding cultivation conditions from 2006 to 2008. [Result] The rice yield was closely correlated with the productive panicle number, grain number per panicle, seed setting rate and 1 000-grain weight. The four yield components showed different influences on the yield of different rice culti- vars. By adopting the high yielding cultivation technology （that the seedlings were planted in a triangle shape） at the target yield of 10.5-11.25 t/hm~, we found that the rice yield of super rice cultivars was closely correlated with productive panicle number and 1 000-grain weight, negatively correlated with grain number per panicle, and significantly negatively correlated with seed setting rate; the grain yield of non- super rice cultivars was negatively correlated with grain number per panicle and seed setting rate, and significantly negatively correlated with the productive panicle number and 1 000-grain weight. [Conclusion] The results revealed the relationship between grain yield and yield components in different rice cultivars, which provided references for developing reasonable cultivation measures and thus to improve the yield of super rice in large acreage.