Increase Rice Yield Research Articles

Seed priming with Beauveria bassiana improves growth and salt stress response in rice

One of the most important abiotic factors that hinder plant development, growth, and production is salt stress. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in the biological treatment of salt stress in plants using beneficial microbes. The fungal endophyte Beauveria bassiana provides a wide variety of ecosystem services, like suppressing insect pests and pathogens and enhancing plant growth. However, the role of B. bassiana in reducing salt stress in plants has not yet been clarified. This study was undertaken to evaluate the performance of B. bassiana isolate BeauA1 primed rice under salt stress by estimating rice growth, stress parameters, and mitigator characteristics. Primarily, rice seeds were primed with BeauA1 and placed in an agar medium with 120 mM NaCl (≈12 dS m−1 salt solution) to observe the role of BeauA1 in the early establishment of rice seedlings in salt conditions. Seed priming with BeauA1 resulted in an enhancement of rice growth attributes under both control and NaCl stress conditions. In the pot experiment, the BeauA1 primed rice seedlings were planted in soil with different concentrations of salt, viz. 8, 10, and 12 dS m−1. The BeauA1 primed rice plants showed improvement in leaf succulence, leaf area, photosynthetic pigments, and shoot relative water content (RWC), leading to enhanced growth under both salt stress and control conditions. The biochemical study found that BeauA1 considerably increased proline content, total soluble sugars, total carbohydrates, and K+/Na+ in leaves. The antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and nonenzymatic antioxidants phenol and flavonoid were upregulated in BeauA1-primed plants under both control and stressed conditions. Further significant reductions of the lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by BeauA1 under salt stress were consistent with higher antioxidant activities in salt stress conditions. Principal component analysis (PCA) further validated BeauA1-primed plants' modulation of growth, antioxidant defense, and reduction of MDA and H2O2 in rice under salt-stress conditions. Our findings indicated that utilizing BeauA1 to reduce salt stress would be a useful strategy to increase rice yield in salt-affected regions.

Can mechanized pesticide application help reduce pesticide use and increase crop yield? Evidence from rice farmers in Jiangsu province, China

ABSTRACTThis study is devoted to analyzing the effects of outsourcing machinery-intensive farming activities vis-à-vis using mechanized equipment in-house on pesticide use, utilizing cross-sectional data collected from rice farmers in Jiangsu province, China. The control function approach is utilized to address the endogeneity of the decision to outsource pesticide application or complete the task in-house. Our results suggest that outsourcing pesticide application decreases pesticide expenditure but in-house application using mechanized equipment increases it. Specifically, outsourcing pesticide application reduces pesticide expenditure by about 81 yuan per mu or around 0.18 yuan per kilogram of rice produced. In comparison, the in-house application using mechanized equipment increases pesticide expenditure by 118 yuan per mu or by 0.14 yuan per kilogram of rice output. We also find that both outsourcing and in-house pesticide applications increase rice yield.

Optimization of liquid fertilizer management improves grain yield, biomass accumulation, and nutrient uptake of late-season indica fragrant rice.

The use of liquid fertilizer is an effective measure to increase rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency. There has been a lack of information regarding the effects on the grain yield, biomass accumulation, and nutrient uptake in late-season indica fragrant rice of split fertilizer application and of nitrogen management in liquid fertilizer application. A 2-year field experiment was carried out during 2019 and 2020 with two fragrant rice cultivars grown under differing fertilizer management treatments. Results showed that the fertilization treatments affected the grain yield, yield components, biomass accumulation, and nutrient accumulation significantly. The mean nitrogen recovery efficiency with liquid fertilizer management was greater than in a control treatment corresponding to a practice commonly used by farmers (H2). The effects of nitrogen metabolism enzymes in the leaves of both rice cultivars were stronger with liquid fertilizer treatments than with H2. Grain yield was positively associated with the effective panicle number, spikelets per panicle, dry matter accumulation, N and K accumulation, and the nitrogen metabolism enzymes. Optimized liquid fertilizer management increases biomass accumulation, nitrogen utilization efficiency, and nitrogen metabolism. It stabilizes yields and increases the economic benefits of late-season indica fragrant rice. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Induction of systemic resistance in rice plants against Burkholderia glumae infection by bioformulation of Streptomyces spp. under greenhouse conditions

The ability of plant growth-promoting Streptomyces (PGPS) against bacterial panicle blight (BPB) disease caused by Burkholderia glumae has been previously examined under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. To further harness their potential, the development of bioformulations containing PGPS is needed. This study investigates the efficacy of Streptomyces bioformulations in suppressing the growth of B. glumae under greenhouse conditions. The powder-based bioformulations of Streptomyces were prepared and characterized based on potential phytotoxic effect and shelf life stability. The efficacy of Streptomyces bioformulations in suppressing BPB disease was assessed according to the expression of Gns1 (β-1,3-glucanase), OsPR1a (pathogenesis-related class 1), Oswrky45 (SA-responsive) and OsJAMYB (JA-responsive) using RT-qPCR. The talc-kaolin-Streptomyces bioformulations (BioSTKR8, BioSJAS2 and BioSTBS5 containing Streptomyces corchorusii TKR8, Streptomyces corchorusii JAS2 and Streptomyces misionensis TBS5, respectively) showed no phytotoxic effect on rice plants. Bioformulations were more stable when stored under refrigeration than at room temperature, with more than 50 % spore viability at 180 days after storage. Treatment with BioSTKR8 (7 %) and BioSTBS5 (10 %) was able to reduce BPB disease severity while increasing rice yield by up to 301 % (BioSTKR8) and 170 % (BioSTBS5) relative to control (100 %). Transcript levels of Gns1, OsPR1a, Oswrky45 and OsJAMYB were up-regulated by the treatment of BioSTKR8 and BioSTBS5 at 7 DPI compared to the control. Results suggest that BioSTKR8 and BioSTBS5 are very promising bioformulations to be utilized as potential plant growth promoters and biological control agents (BCA) for sustainable rice production and BPB disease management.

Increasing Planting Density and Reducing N Application Improves Yield and Grain Filling at Two Sowing Dates in Double-Cropping Rice Systems.

Grain filling plays an important role in achieving high grain yield. Manipulating planting densities is recognized as a viable approach to compensate for the reduced yield caused by nitrogen reduction. Understanding the effects of nitrogen fertilization and planting density on superior and inferior grain filling is crucial to ensure grain security. Hence, double-cropping paddy field trials were conducted to investigate the effect of three nitrogen levels (N1, conventional nitrogen application; N2, 10% nitrogen reduction; N3, 20% nitrogen reduction) and three planting densities (D1, conventional planting density; D2, 20% density increase; D3, 40% density increase) on grain yield, yield formation, and grain-filling characteristics at two sowing dates (S1, a conventional sowing date, and S2, a date postponed by ten days) in 2019-2020. The results revealed that the annual yield of S1 was 8.5-14% higher than that of S2. Reducing nitrogen from N2 to N3 decreased the annual yield by 2.8-7.6%, but increasing planting densities from D1 to D3 significantly improved yield, by 6.2-19.4%. Furthermore, N2D3 had the highest yield, which was 8.7-23.8% higher than the plants that had received the other treatments. The rice yield increase was attributed to higher numbers of panicles per m2 and spikelets per panicle on the primary branches, influenced by superior grain filling. Increasing planting density and reducing nitrogen application significantly affected grain-filling weight, with the 40% density increase significantly facilitating superior and inferior grain filling with the same nitrogen level. Increasing density can improve superior grains while reducing nitrogen will decrease superior grains. These results suggest that N2D3 is an optimal strategy to increase yield and grain filling for double-cropping rice grown under two sowing-date conditions.

Effects of nitrogen co-application by different biochar materials on rice production potential and greenhouse gas emissions in paddy fields in northern China

The effects of the co-application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers and different biochar materials on rice yields and the GWP of paddy fields in northern China remain unclear. Herein, we conducted a 2-year field experiment to evaluate the effect of combined N fertilizer (three levels: N0, 0 kg N ha−1; N1, 210 kg N ha−1; and N2, 168 kg N ha−1) and biochar application (two levels: BM, maize straw biochar; and BR, rice-husk biochar) on rice yield and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. BR and BM significantly increased rice yield, in particular when applied with N2 fertilizer, by 4.89% and 4.48%, respectively, compared with no biochar. This was associated with a substantial increase in the effective panicles. Generally, the soil NH4+-N after BR application was greater than that of BM, however, biochar addition reduced NO3−-N. BM and BR addition also significantly reduced N2O emissions by 44.04–50.53% and 52.13–55.37%, and CH4 emissions by 38.72–39.74% and 26.40–33.55%, respectively. Moreover, N2 levels can further mitigate N2O and CH4 emissions. For each level of N application, BM and BR significantly reduced the GWP and GHGI, with the N2BM showing the best outcome. Overall, biochar application (especially maize straw biochar) in combination with 168 kg N ha−1 can stabilize rice yields and reduce GHG emissions from agricultural areas in northern China.

The Effectiveness of Local Rhizobacteria Formulations in Increasing The Growth and Production of Rice Plants in Merauke

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of acetoin-producing rhizobacteria formula in promoting growth and increasing local rice yields in Merauke. This in vitro ponder was conducted at the Biopesticide Research facility, Staff of Horticulture, Udayana College. This think about was carried out within the test cultivate of the Staff of Agribusiness, Udayana College, Denpasar. This think about focused on four rhizobacteria segregates that have been recognized to be tried to fortify the development of rice plants. The rice assortment utilized was the Ciherang assortment, which was frequently developed by cultivating communities in Merauke Rule. The test plan utilized was a Randomized Piece Plan (RBD), comprising of 4 replications. Each replication comprised of 6 medications, to be specific 4 rhizobacteria separates and 2 medicines for comparison. The four rhizobacteria confines were Rg21, Pd13, Pd7, and Bb7. Whereas the 2 medicines as a comparison were Unadulterated Acetoin (Dad ) and control. Each treatment was rehashed 10 times so that the whole reiteration was 240 rice plant pots. The pot measure utilized was a surface with a distance across of 30 cm and was filled with developing media. The results of the study showed that the mechanism of action of the rhizobacterial formula in increasing rice yields was the presence of acetoin compounds and derivative compounds such as 2-Butanone, 3-hydroxy, 2,3-butanediol, diacetate, 2,3-Butanediol (CAS), 2-Butanone, 3-acetyloxy, and 1,4-Dioxane. These compounds were produced by rhizobacteria in the rhizosphere, which helped plants achieve acetoin homeostatic conditions so that plants could increase plant height, leaf area, number, number of productive tillers, panicle length, percentage of filled and empty grain, and reduce amylose content. The treatment of Merauke local rhizobacteria formula carried out in a greenhouse with a concentration of 2% was effective in promoting growth and increasing rice yields by adding the weight per plant by 52.83% when compared to the control.

The effects of no-tillage and conventional tillage on greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields with various rice varieties

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) production worldwide strives to meet the challenges of the millennium and ensure food for the overgrown population. Improving traditional rice-growing techniques could effectively increase productivity, reduce water and fertilizer consumption, and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The current study attempts to examine the effect of two rice cultivation (RC) methods, viz. conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT) and “rice varieties (RV), namely var. MTU 1010, var. IET 4786, var. IET 17430 and var. IET 9947″, on methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during the rice-growing season (Kharif) in India. The results showed CH4 and CO2 fluxes were higher under the CT plots than under the NT plots. There was a trade-off between CH4 and N2O production in paddy fields (PF), with CT plots showing lower N2O flux than NT. The “CO2-eq emission (pGWP)” and “yield-scaled CO2-eq emission (YpGWP)” in NT were significantly lower compared to CT with increased rice yields (p < 0.05). Analysis of the energy budget showed that energy use was reduced to 41.67% when replaced with the NT method. When compared to CT cultivation, the energy saved through the NT cultivation was around 2.33 MJ for every kilogram of rice produced. The study showed that the NT is one of the promising methods that should be encouraged among farmers to curb GHG emissions and increase rice production.

Cooperative membership and adoption of green pest control practices: Insights from rice farmers

AbstractReducing the use of chemical pesticide while preserving crop yield is a practical strategy that makes agricultural production economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Although the adoption of green pest control practices can help achieve such a goal, its adoption rate remains quite low. This study explores whether membership in agricultural cooperatives improves smallholder farmers' adoption of green pest control practices, utilising farm‐level data surveyed from rice farmers in China. To enrich our understanding, we also investigate how the adoption of green pest control practices mediates the effects of cooperative membership on chemical pesticide expenditures. An endogenous switching probit model and a bootstrap‐based mediation method are employed to achieve these goals. The empirical results show that cooperative membership significantly increases the probability of adopting physical pest control practices (e.g. pest‐killing lamps or sticky plate traps) and biological pest control practices (e.g. biopesticides) by 6% and 19%, respectively. Cooperative membership significantly reduces chemical pesticide expenditures through its mediation effect on improving the probability of adopting biological pest control practices. There is also a complementary relationship between physical and biological pest control practices in pest management of rice production. The adoption of physical pest control practices significantly increases rice yield, while the adoption of biological pest control practices does not.

Effects of different colors of film mulch on soil temperature and rice growth in a non-flooded condition.

Rice cultivation under film mulching with no flooding is widely used as an effective water-saving technology. Different colors of film mulch have different effects on the soil hydrothermal environment and crop growth because of their different optical properties. However, the effects of different colors of film mulch on soil temperature and rice physiological growth are not clearly understood. Field experiments were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to investigate the effects of different color mulches on soil temperature and rice growth in a non-flooded condition. Transparent film (TM), black film (BM), two-color film (BWM, silver on the front and black on the back), and no film (NM) in a non-flooded condition were designed. Soil temperature variation at different soil depths of 0-0.25 m and rice plant height, stem thickness, dry matter, yield and quality were monitored. The results showed that compared to no mulching, the mulching treatment effectively increased the average soil temperature during the whole rice growth stage with the soil temperature ranked TM > BM > BWM. Compared with NM, the BM and BWM treatments increased rice yield by 12.1-17.7% and 6.4-14.4% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The BWM had 18.2% and 6.8% greater gel consistency than NM in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Transparent film should be applied with care because of the high soil temperature stress. Black film and two-color film (silver on the front and black on the back) could be better option for rice yield, increasing and quality improving in a non-flooded condition. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of the Combining Straw Return with Urease Inhibitor on Ammonia Volatilization, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Rice Yield in Purple Soil Areas.

Straw return in rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddy has been heavily criticized for its potential to influence ammonia (NH3) volatilization loss due to irrational fertilizer N application. Therefore, improving the N fertilization strategies within residue straw systems is necessary to reduce N loss from NH3 volatilization. This study investigated how the incorporation of oilseed rape straw and the urease inhibitor affected NH3 volatilization, fertilizer N use efficiency (FNUE), and rice yields over two growing seasons (2018-2019) in the purple soil region. This study arranged eight treatments combined straw (2, 5, 8 ton ha-1, named 2S, 5S, 8S, respectively), with urea or urease inhibitor (UI, 1% NBPT) with three replicates, which included control (CK), UR (Urea, 150 kg N ha-1), UR + 2S, UR + 5S, UR + 8S, UR + 2S + UI, UR + 5S + UI, UR + 8S + UI, based on the randomized complete block method. Our results indicated that incorporating oilseed rape straw increased NH3 losses by 3.2-30.4% in 2018 and 4.3-17.6% in 2019 than the UR treatment, attributing to the higher NH4+-N content and pH value within floodwater. However, the UR + 2S + UI, UR + 5S + UI and UR + 8S + UI treatments reduced NH3 losses by 3.8%, 30.3%, and 8.1% in 2018 and 19.9%, 39.5%, and 35.8% in 2019, separately compared to their corresponding UR plus straw treatments. According to the findings, adding 1% NBPT significantly decreased NH3 losses while incorporating 5 ton ha-1 oilseed rape straw. Furthermore, adding straw, either alone or in conjunction with 1% NBPT, increased rice yield and FNUE by 0.6-18.8% and 0.6-18.8%, respectively. Otherwise, NH3 losses scaled by yield in the UR + 5S + UI treatment decreased significantly between all treatments in 2018 and 2019. These results suggest that optimizing the oilseed rape straw rate combined with 1% NBPT applied with urea efficiently increased rice yield and reduced NH3 emissions in the purple soil region of Sichuan Province, China.

Effect of inter-tillage weeding on rice yield, rice growth, and nutrient dynamics without agrochemical and fertilizer application: Results of a three-year study

Traditionally, frequent inter-tillage is believed to increase rice yield without the application of chemicals. However, research on rice growth and soil nutrient dynamics under such cultivation management is lacking. In this study, we performed rice cultivation without applying agrochemicals and fertilizers to elucidate the influence of inter-tillage, especially, three years after switching to no chemical application. The rice growth, rice yield, and nutrient (N, P, and K) dynamics over three years (2018–2020) were assessed, including three different treatments: 0-, 2-, and 5-times inter-tillage (0-T, 2-T, and 5-T, respectively) and conventional cultivation as rough reference. In the first year, the brown rice yield in inter-tillage fields (531–566 g/m2) was higher than the regional average yield for conventional rice cultivation (497 g/m2) after several years of fallow with herbicide. In the second year, following nutrient consumption in the first year, the yield in inter-tillage fields (220–272 g/m2) was less than the regional average yield (547 g/m2). There was no significant variation (P < 0.05) in yields in the three inter-tillage fields in the first and second years. However, in the third year, the order of yield achieved in experimental fields was 5-T (354 g/m2) > 2-T (209 g/m2) > 0-T (173 g/m2), although these yields were lower than the regional average yield (561 g/m2). The exchangeable ammonium concentration in the soil and the ammonium concentration in the soil solution from inter-tillage fields decreased in the third year compared to the second year's results. However, the rice yield, growth, and nitrogen concentration in rice plants in 5-T increased in the third year. Our findings indicate that several years of inter-tillage make the soil environment effectively suitable for fertilizer- and chemical-free rice cultivation.

Potential effect of key soil bacterial taxa on the increase of rice yield under milk vetch rotation.

Legume crop rotation is often adopted in rice cultivation to improve soil productivity. However, little is known about the role of microbes under legume rotation in affecting soil productivity. To elucidate this, a long-term paddy cropping experiment was set up to study the relationship between crop yield, soil chemical properties, and key microbial taxa under a double-rice and milk vetch rotation. Milk vetch rotation significantly improved soil chemical properties compared to no fertilization treatment, and soil phosphorus was a major factor correlated with crop yield. Long-term legume rotation increased soil bacterial alpha diversity and changed soil bacterial community. After milk vetch rotation, the relative abundances of Bacteroidota, Desulfobacterota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria increased while those of Acidobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetota decreased. Moreover, milk vetch rotation increased the relative abundance of phosphorus-related gene K01083 (bpp), which was significantly correlated with soil phosphorus content and crop yield. Network analysis showed that taxa of Vicinamibacterales were positively correlated with total phosphorus and available phosphorus, which was a potential taxon contributing to the availability of soil phosphorus stock. Our results indicated that milk vetch rotation could enrich key taxa with latent phosphate-solubilizing ability, increase the content of soil available phosphorus, and finally enhance crop yield. This could provide scientific guidance for better crop production.

Formulation and Application of Organic Fertilizer from Cow Dung to Increase Rice Yield by Applying Sustainable Agriculture Principles in Gantiwarno, Klaten

&lt;p&gt;Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo&lt;/em&gt; was a cattle breeder engaged in livestock farming. Cow dung was a problem for breeders because of the large amount of cow dung that had not yet been utilized, causing air, water, and soil pollution. The Mentoring activity aims to overcome the problems faced by partners by utilizing cow dung waste from Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo&lt;/em&gt; could be used as organic fertilizer by the Farmer’s Group &lt;em&gt;Sri Rejeki&lt;/em&gt; to increase rice yield by applying the principles of sustainable agriculture. The Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo &lt;/em&gt;problem could be solved by formulating organic fertilizer using cow dung. Furthermore, it could address the Farmer’s Group &lt;em&gt;Sri Rejeki&lt;/em&gt; problem, which is an increasing need for fertilizer to increase rice yield by applying sustainable agriculture principles. The mentoring activity was in collaboration with two partners, namely the Farmer’s Group &lt;em&gt;Sri Rejeki&lt;/em&gt; and the Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo,&lt;/em&gt; located in Gesikan Village, Gantiwarno District, Klaten Regency. The method used was socialization and practice. The result of the mentoring activity for formulating organic fertilizer was that the Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo&lt;/em&gt; could formulate organic fertilizer from cow dung, and the Farmer’s Group &lt;em&gt;Sri Rejeki&lt;/em&gt; was able to apply an organic fertilizer to increase rice yield. The two partners’ capabilities could overcome problems in the Livestock Farmer Group &lt;em&gt;Lembu Mulyo&lt;/em&gt; and the Farmer’s Group &lt;em&gt;Sri Rejeki&lt;/em&gt;. In addition to solving the problems of the two partners by formulating organic fertilizers and their application in rice fields also applied sustainable agriculture principles.&lt;/p&gt;

Effects of milling condition on nutritional, physicochemical, and textural properties of highland barley grains

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesA lower degree milling to obtain cereal grains with acceptable cooking qualities was recommended for the higher retainment of bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to investigate effects of milling condition on nutritional, physicochemical and cooking qualities of highland barley (HB) grains.FindingsEffects of tempering results showed that increased water addition amount caused decrease in degree of milling (DOM) and increase in head rice yield (HRY). Effects of milling condition results showed that activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) showed significantly decreasing tendency as DOM increased. When DOM increased from 0% to 8%, the POD activity decreased from 140 to 3.75 Ug−1 min−1, with inactivation rate of 97.3%. Milling also witnessed a 70.1% reduction of PPO activity, from 27.74 to 8.30 Ug−1 min−1. Pasting results showed that viscosity parameters gradually increased and pasting temperature decreased as DOM increased. Texture results showed that the hardness, gumminess and chewiness of HB grains gradually decreased with the increase of DOM, while there was no significant difference in resilience, adhesiveness and springiness.ConclusionsBased on the nutritional, physicochemical and cooking qualities of HB grains, the optimal milling condition of HB grains was fixed at 6% of tempering water, 10 min of tempering time and 10% of DOM.

Amendments of Severe Saline-Sodic Paddy Land: Optimal Combination of Phosphogypsum, Farmyard Fertilizer, and Wood Peat

We aimed to determine the optimal combination of amendments to increase rice yields in saline-sodic soil. The effects of different proportions of phosphogypsum (P), farmyard fertilizer (F), and wood peat (W) across the main growth period of rice were studied. A total of 14 treatments were designed based on the “3414” fertilizer effect field experiment scheme, with 3 factors (P, F, and W) and 4 application levels per factor. Application of a combination of P, F, and W reduced soil pH and electrical conductance (EC) (p &lt; 0.05), increasing rice yields. The theoretical rice yield after treatment P2F2W2 (P 30, F 50, and W 30 t·ha−1) was 5819.20 kg·ha−1, which was 32.52-fold higher than that after P0F0W0 (P, F, and W, 0 t·ha−1). Panicle weight, number of total filled grains, total grain weight, and seed-setting rate were 9.76, 17.35, 32.11, and 3.96 times higher than those in the control treatment, respectively. Compared with the control P0F0W0 treatment, soil pH in P2F2W2 in 0–5, 5–10, 10–15, and 15–20 cm depth decreased by 12.69, 12.32, 11.18, and 10.70%, respectively, and soil EC was 1.06-fold, and 70.79, 49.30, and 47.76% higher, respectively. Overall, we found that the P2F2W2 treatment, with a combination of P, 29.09–32.38 t·ha−1; F, 40.36–46.97 t·ha−1; and W, 19.57–23.95 t·ha−1 was optimal in this experiment.

Coculturing rice with aquatic animals promotes ecological intensification of paddy ecosystem

AbstractSpecies coculture can increase agro-biodiversity and therefore constitutes an ecological intensification measure for agriculture. Rice–aquatic animal coculture, one type of species coculture, has been practiced and researched widely. Here, we review recent studies and present results of a quantitative analysis of literature on rice–aquatic animal coculture systems. We address three questions: (i) can rice yield and soil fertility be maintained or increased with less chemical input through rice–aquatic animal coculture? (ii) how do aquatic animals benefit the paddy ecosystem? (iii) how can coculture be implemented for ecological intensification? Meta-analysis based on published papers showed that rice–aquatic animal cocultures increased rice yield, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen and decreased insect pests and weeds compared with rice monocultures. Studies also showed that rice–aquatic animal cocultures reduced pesticide and fertilizer application compared with rice monocultures. Rice plants provide a beneficial environment for aquatic animals, leading to high animal activities in the field. Aquatic animals, in turn, help remove rice pests and act as ecological engineers that affect soil conditions, which favor the growth of rice plants. Aquatic animals promote nutrient cycling and the complementary use of nutrients between rice and aquatic animals, which enhances nutrient-use efficiency in the coculture. To generate beneficial outcomes, how to develop compatible partnerships between rice and aquatic animals, and compatible culturing strategies for coculture systems are the key points. Investigating which traits of aquatic animals and rice varieties could best match to create productive and sustainable coculture systems could be one of the future focuses.

The effects of adding exogenous lignocellulose degrading bacteria during straw incorporation in cold regions on degradation characteristics and soil indigenous bacteria communities.

Low temperature is one of the bottleneck factors that limits the degradation of straw during rice straw incorporation. Determining strategies to promote the efficient degradation of straw in cold regions has become a highly active research area. This study was to investigate the effect of rice straw incorporation by adding exogenous lignocellulose decomposition microbial consortiums at different soil depths in cold regions. The results showed that the lignocellulose was degraded the most efficiently during straw incorporation, which was in deep soil with the full addition of a high-temperature bacterial system. The composite bacterial systems changed the indigenous soil microbial community structure and diminished the effect of straw incorporation on soil pH, it also significantly increased rice yield and effectively enhanced the functional abundance of soil microorganisms. The predominant bacteria SJA-15, Gemmatimonadaceae, and Bradyrhizobium promoted straw degradation. The concentration of bacterial system and the depth of soil had significantly positive correlations on lignocellulose degradation. These results provide new insights and a theoretical basis for the changes in the soil microbial community and the application of lignocellulose-degrading composite microbial systems with straw incorporation in cold regions.

Don't panic any more: MORE PANICLES 3 increases rice yield at elevated CO2 levels.

Don't panic any more: MORE PANICLES 3 increases rice yield at elevated CO2 levels.

The effectiveness of biosilica and liquid organic fertilizer application on growth and yields of lowland rice

The study aimed to investigate the response of superior rice variety (Inpari 33) to the combined fertilization of inorganic fertilizers with organic and biosilica fertilizers to its growth and productivity. Field activities carried out in rice fields at Sidowaluyo Village, Sidomulyo District, South Lampung Regency, Indonesia. The experiment was arranged in a Randomized Block Design with four replications with the treatments were: A. Control (without liquid biosilica or organic fertilizer application); B. Liquid biosilica sprayed on the plants at 21 and 42 days after planting (DAP), 2 l/ha/application; C. Liquid biosilica applied at 21 and 42 DAP, 4 l/ha/application; D. Liquid organic fertilizer applied at 40 and 47 DAP, 1 l/ha/application; and E. Liquid organic fertilizer applied at 40 and 47 DAP, 2 l/ha/application. Results showed that organic liquid fertilizer application at 40 and 47 DAP 2 l/ha/dose increases the number of panicles, grains, rice yields, and straw weight. The application of liquid organic fertilizer increased rice yields by 9.9 % (from 7.10 to 7.88 tons/ha) and rice straw weight by 13.23% (from 11.15 to 12.85 tons/ha) compared to the control. However, the application of biosilica could not increase rice yields or straw weight.