To explore the effects of increased basic seedling number and reduced nitrogen application on rice yield and quality, providing a scientific basis for green and high-efficiency rice production in Southern Jiangsu Province.
Using the mid-maturing late japonica cultivar Nanjing 46, a field experiment was conducted in a rice-rapeseed rotation system during 2023 and 2024. The experiment included two basic seedling number: D1 (conventional, 1.1×106 seedlings/hm2) and D2 (a 50% increase, 1.7×106 seedlings/hm2). These were factorially combined with three nitrogen fertilizer rates: N1 (conventional application level, 270 kg/hm2), N2 (15% reduction, 230 kg/hm2), and N3 (30% reduction, 190 kg/hm2). The investigation focused on the treatment effects on key agronomic traits: grain yield, dry matter accumulation, leaf area index, photosynthetic potential, and grain quality parameters.
The treatment with conventional seedling density and a 15% nitrogen reduction in nitrogen application (1.1×106 seedlings/hm2, 230 kg/hm2) produced the highest yield, while the treatment with a 50% increase in seedling density and a 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application (1.7×106 seedlings/hm2, 190 kg/hm2) achieved a comparable yield. Compared to the conventional treatment (1.1×106 seedlings/hm2, 270 kg/hm2), the treatment with a 50% increase seedling density and a 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application increased two-year average yield by 1.53%. In terms of yield components, this primarily resulted from increased panicle number, seed-setting rate, and 1000-grain weight. Compared to the conventional treatment, the treatment with a 50% increase in seedling density and a 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application resulted in an average increase of 7.48% in the leaf area index at the maturity stage over the two years, as well as average increases of 7.03% and 1.01% in photosynthetic potential and aboveground dry matter accumulation from the heading to maturity stages, respectively. Under the treatment, the brown rice rate, milled rice rate, and head rice rate decreased by an average of 4.07%, 4.51%, and 6.16% over the two years, respectively, while the appearance quality, cooking and eating quality, and starch pasting properties were significantly improved.
Under rapeseed straw incorporation, the treatment with a 50% increase in seedling planting density and a 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application achieved coordinated improvement in both rice yield and quality by balancing vegetative and reproductive growth, optimizing population biomass production and distribution efficiency, and promoting heading stage-maturity stage dry matter accumulation.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |