Assessing the genetic variability and trait interactions for nitrogen use efficiency in rice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.7091Keywords:
food security, grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency, physiological traits, rice007AAbstract
In major cereals, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers and low nitrogen use efficiency adversely affect land, water and food systems. Developing nitrogen-efficient cereal varieties reduces fertilizer dependence, lowers costs and minimizes environmental pollution while maintaining yield stability. These varieties enhance nitrogen uptake and assimilation, ensuring sustainable food production in low-nitrogen soils. The study aimed to assess the genetic variability for nitrogen use efficiency among 160 rice genotypes by evaluating their performance under three different nitrogen levels -N0 (0N), N50 (50% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) and N100 (100% RDN), during rabi season. The physiological and yield traits were recorded at the active tillering and flowering stages. The results indicated that the application of different nitrogen levels significantly affected the physiological traits such as chlorophyll index (SPAD value), leaf greenness index (NDVI), light-adapted PSII quantum yield (Fv'/Fm'), photosynthetic rate at both the stages. Also, there was a significant variation observed in yield traits such as the number of productive tillers, spikelets per panicle, 100-grain weight, spikelet fertility and grain yield among the rice genotypes under different N levels. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between Fv'/Fm' and photosynthetic rate with grain yield under N50 and N100 levels. Hierarchical clustering analysis identified the five high-yielding genotypes such as IRG91, IRG140, IRG302, IRG374 and IRG375, that performed significantly well under N50 in terms of physiological and yield traits compared to the N0 level and the reduction in yield was significantly less over N100. Future research should focus on identifying the key genes and pathways associated with NUE in rice.
Downloads
References
Yoshida S. Fundamentals of rice crop science. Int Rice Res Inst; 1981.
Khush GS. What will it take to feed 5.0 billion rice consumers in 2030?. Plant Mol Bio. 2005;59:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-005-2159-5
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Production: Commodity - 0422110 [Internet]. Washington, DC: USDA. https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/production/commodity/0422110
Han M, Wong J, Su T, Beatty PH, Good AG. Identification of nitrogen use efficiency genes in barley: searching for QTLs controlling complex physiological traits. Front Plant Sci. 2016;7:1587–1604. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01587
Ahmed M, Rauf M, Mukhtar Z, Saeed NA. Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers: an unawareness causing serious threats to environment and human health. Environ Sci Pollu Res. 2017;24:26983–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0589-7
Heffer P, Gruere A, Roberts T. Assessment of fertilizer use by crop at the global level. International Fertilizer Industry Association, Paris; 2013.
Muthayya S, Sugimoto JD, Montgomery S, Maberly GF. An overview of global rice production, supply, trade and consumption. Annals New York Acad Sci. 2014;1324(1):7–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12540
Chivenge P, Sharma S, Bunquin MA, Hellin J. Improving nitrogen use efficiency-a key for sustainable rice production systems. Front Sus Food Syst. 2021;5:737412. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.737412
Clark CM, Tilman D. Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands. Nature. 2008;451(7179):712–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06503
Rahman MM, Kamal MZ, Ranamukhaarachchi S, Alam MS, Alam MK, Khan MA,et al. Effects of organic amendments on soil aggregate stability, carbon sequestration and energy use efficiency in wetland paddy cultivation. Sustainability. 2022;14(8):4475. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084475
Farooq A, Farooq N, Akbar H, Hassan ZU, Gheewala SH. A critical review of climate change impact at a global scale on cereal crop production. Agronomy. 2023;13(1):162. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010162
Neeraja CN, Subramanyam D, Surekha K, Rao PR, Rao LS, Babu MP, Voleti SR. Advances in genetic basis of nitrogen use efficiency of rice. Indian J Plant Phy. 2016;21:504–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-016-0254-z
Metson GS, Chaudhary A, Zhang X, Houlton B, Oita A, Raghuram N, et al. Nitrogen and the food system. One Earth. 2021;4(1):3–7. 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.12.018.
Neeraja CN, Voleti SR, Subrahmanyam D, Surekha K, Rao PR. Breeding rice for nitrogen use efficiency. Indian J Genet Plant Breed. 2019;79(Sup-01):208–15.
Chu G, Chen S, Xu C, Wang D, Zhang X. Agronomic and physiological performance of indica/japonica hybrid rice cultivar under low nitrogen conditions. Field Crops Res. 2019;243:107625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2019.107625
Srikanth B, Subrahmanyam D, Rao SD, Reddy NS, Supriya K, Rao RP, et al. Promising physiological traits associated with nitrogen use efficiency in rice under reduced N application. Front Plant Sci. 2023;14:1268739. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1268739
Padhan BK, Sathee L, Kumar S, Chinnusamy V, Kumar A. Variation in nitrogen partitioning and reproductive stage nitrogen remobilization determines nitrogen grain production efficiency (NUEg) in diverse rice genotypes under varying nitrogen supply. Front Plant Sci. 2023;14:1093581. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1093581
Wang W, Huang L, Zhu G, Zhang H, Wang Z, Adnan M, et al. Screening of rice cultivars for nitrogen use efficiency and yield stability under varying nitrogen levels. J Plant Growth Reg. 2022;41(4):1808–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-021-10423-1
Javed T, Indu I, Singhal RK, Shabbir R, Shah AN, Kumar P, et al. Recent advances in agronomic and physio-molecular approaches for improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants. Front Plant Sci. 2022;13:877544. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.877544
Chakraborty N, Raghuram N. Nitrate sensing and signaling in genomewide plant N response. In: Jain V, Anandakumar P, editors. Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Plants. New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi; 2011. p. 45–62
Raghuram N, Sharma N. Improving crop nitrogen use efficiency. 2019:211–20.
Peng Y, Li X, White P, Li C. A large and deep root system underlies high nitrogen-use efficiency in maize production. PLoS One. 2011;10:e0126293.
Wu L, Yuan S, Huang L, Sun F, Zhu G, Li G, et al. Physiological mechanisms underlying the high-grain yield and high-nitrogen use efficiency of elite rice varieties under a low rate of nitrogen application in China. Front Plant Sci. 2016;7:1024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01024
Zhu KY, Yan JQ, Yong SH, Zhang WY, Xu YJ, Wang ZQ, Yang JC. Deciphering the morpho–physiological traits for high yield potential in nitrogen efficient varieties (NEVs): A japonica rice case study. J Int Agri. 2022;21(4):947–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(20)63600-0
Lu C, Zhang J. Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll fluorescence and photoinhibition as affected by nitrogen deficiency in maize plants. Plant Sci. 2000;151(2):135–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9452(99)00207-1
R Core Team: R: A language and environment for statistica computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria; 2023. https://www.R-project.org/.
Pujarula V, Pusuluri M, Bollam S, Das RR, Ratnala R, Adapala G, et al. Genetic variation for nitrogen use efficiency traits in global diversity panel and parents of mapping populations in pearl millet. Front Plant Sci. 2021;12:625915. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.625915
Liang Z, Bao A, Li H, Cai H. The effect of nitrogen level on rice growth, carbon-nitrogen metabolism and gene expression. Biologia. 2015;70(10):1340–50. https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2015-0148
Yang WH, Peng S, Huang J, Sanico AL, Buresh RJ, Witt C. Using leaf color charts to estimate leaf nitrogen status of rice. Agro J. 2003;95(1):212–17. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2003.2120
Rai SL. Genotypes for nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen levels; 2019.
Swain DK, Sandip SJ. Development of SPAD values of medium-and long-duration rice variety for site-specific nitrogen management. J Agro. 2010;9(2):38–44.
Rajesh K, Thatikunta R, Naik DS, Arunakumari J. Effect of different nitrogen levels on morpho physiological and yield parameters in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Int J Curr Microbio Appl Sci. 2017;6(8):2227–40. 10.20546/ijcmas.2017.608.262.
Devika S, Ravichandran V, Boominathan P. Physiological analyses of nitrogen use efficiency and yield traits of rice genotypes. Indian J Plant Phy. 2018;23:100–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-018-0358-8
Tantray AY, Bashir SS, Ahmad A. Low nitrogen stress regulates chlorophyll fluorescence in coordination with photosynthesis and Rubisco efficiency of rice. Phy Mol Bio Plants. 2020 Jan;26:83–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-019-00721-0
Liu QF, Xu SQ. Response of fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic traits of rice to different nitrogen application under sufficient irrigation. J Irri Drain. 2018;37:6–12.
Zhang ZX, Zheng EN, Wang CM, Fu NH. Effect of different water and nitrogen levels on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic characteristics of rice. Trans Chinese Soc Agri Mach. 2017;48:176–83.
Fu H, Cui D, Shen H. Effects of nitrogen forms and application rates on nitrogen uptake, photosynthetic characteristics and yield of double-cropping rice in south China. Agronomy. 2021;11(1):158.10.3390/agronomy. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010158
Wei HWH, Zhang HZH, Ma QMQ, Dai QDQ, Huo ZHZ, Xu KXK, et al. Photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaf in rice genotypes with different nitrogen use efficiencies. Acta Agro Sinica. 2009;35(12):2243–51. 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2009.02243.
Nduwimana D, Mochoge B, Danga B, Masso C, Maitra S, Gitari H. Optimizing nitrogen use efficiency and maize yield under varying fertilizer rates in Kenya. Int J Biores Sci. 2020;7(2):63–73. 10.30954/2347- 9655.02.2020.4.
Artacho P, Bonomelli C, Meza F. Nitrogen application in irrigated rice grown in Mediterranean conditions: Effects on grain yield, dry matter production, nitrogen uptake and nitrogen use efficiency. J Plant Nutr. 2009;32(9):1574–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904160903094339
Yoshinaga S, Takai T, Arai-Sanoh Y, Ishimaru T, Kondo M. Varietal differences in sink production and grain-filling ability in recently developed high-yielding rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in Japan. Field Crops Research. 2013;150:74–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2013.06.004
Chaturvedi I. Effect of nitrogen fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.). J Central Europe Agri. 2005;6(4):611–18.
Yoseftabar S. Effect nitrogen management on fertility percentage in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Int J Farm Allied Sci. 2013;2(14):412–16.
Zhang J, Tong T, Potcho PM, Huang S, Ma L, Tang X. Nitrogen effects on yield, quality and physiological characteristics of giant rice. Agronomy. 2020;10:1–16. 10.3390/agronomy10111816.
Metwally TF, Sedeek SE, Abdelkhalik AF, El-Rewinyl IM, Metwali EM. Genetic behaviour of some rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes under different treatments of nitrogen levels. Electr J Plant Breed. 2010;1(5):1266–78.
Singh H, Verma A, Ansari MW, Shukla A. Physiological response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes to elevated nitrogen applied under field conditions. Plant Signal Behav. 2014;9(7):e29015.
Kim TH, Kim SM. Effects of nitrogen application levels on grain yield and yield-related traits of rice genetic resources. Korean J Crop Sci. 2023;68(4):276–84. https://doi.org/10.7740/kjcs.2023.68.4.276
Hirel B, Le Gouis J, Ney B, Gallais A. The challenge of improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants: Towards a more central role for genetic variability and quantitative genetics within integrated approaches. J Exp Botany. 2007;58(9):2369–87. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erm097
Garnett T, Conn V, Kaiser BN. Root based approaches to improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Plant Cell Environ. 2009;32(9):1272–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.02011.x
Han M, Okamoto M, Beatty PH, Rothstein SJ, Good AG. The genetics of nitrogen use efficiency in crop plants. Annual Review of Genetics. 2015;49(1):269–89. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genet-112414-055037

Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 D Shanmugapriya, A Senthil, M Raveendran, M Djanaguiraman, K Anitha, V Ravichandran, R Pushpam, S Marimuthu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright and Licence details of published articles
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Open Access Policy
Plant Science Today is an open access journal. There is no registration required to read any article. All published articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC Attribution 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).