Morphological acclimation to agronomic manipulation in leaf dispersion and orientation to promote “Ideotype” breeding: Evidence from 3D visual modeling of “super” rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Food security is confronted by major threats from crop yield stagnation and global climate change. The benefits of phenotypic plasticity across environments for given crop genotypes are thought to be imperative for high-yielding cropping systems. Given that 3D modeling is increasingly recognized for dissecting crop phenotypic plasticity, it requires an assessment of the potential benefits of architectural adaptation of super rice to different agronomic practices. In this study, we focused on a comprehensive evaluation of the phenotypic plasticity of super rice on the aspects of 3D architectural “reoptimization,” photosynthetic productivity, nitrogen economy, and grain yield. A super rice phenotype in superhigh-yielding practice (SH) displays a “reoptimized” morphogenesis in the leaf vertical dispersion and orientation in comparison to that in Farmer's practice (FP). Specifically, a super rice phenotype in SH is provided with a high cumulative rate and peaks of leaf area, increasing the distribution of high leaf inclination angles in comparison to that in FP, particularly in the upper parts of the canopy. These “reoptimizations” sustained profits in light environment within a canopy, leaf area duration, photosynthetic light harvest, and light utilization efficiency and were coordinated with improving nitrogen uptake and assimilation. The current literature indicates that the agronomic plasticity of super rice in architectural “reoptimization” is a promising perspective for high yield formation. Our results suggest that more emphasis should be placed upon agronomic adaptation strategies for super rice across diverse genotypes and environments to further improve crop establishment and photosynthetic productivity.