ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicGreen, Efficient, and Sustainable Production of Major Food Crops: Innovative Cropping Systems and Physiological Mechanisms for High Yield and Environmental Stress ResistanceView all articles
Optimizing Panicle Fertilizer Application Based on Amylose Content for Balancing Yield and Quality of Japonica rice
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing, China
- 2Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- 3Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
- 4Nanjing Liuhe District Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Nanjing, China
- 5Jiangsu Provincial Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Nanjing, China
- 6Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Rice Research Institute, Guangzhou, China
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Panicle nitrogen application is a key agronomic practice for regulating rice yield and quality, yet its effects are highly dependent on genetic background, especially the amylose content of japonica rice varieties. This study systematically examined the differential responses to panicle nitrogen fertilizer (0, 60, 120 kg N ha-1) in yield formation, grain quality, and starch properties among representative japonica rice genotypes differing in amylose content (normal vs. low). Results revealed variety-specific regulatory patterns: normal-amylose content (NAC) varieties showed a stronger yield response, with a 27.27% increase under the N120 treatment, largely attributable to higher panicle number per unit area. However, these varieties also exhibited significant deterioration in appearance quality, such as increased chalkiness. In contrast, low-amylose content (LAC) varieties demonstrated a greater improvement in milling quality—head rice rate increased by 10.13% under N120—but a more pronounced decline in cooking/eating quality, evidenced by reduced peak viscosity, breakdown value, and taste score. These findings highlight the need for amylose-based differential nitrogen management strategies to simultaneously achieve high yield and superior quality, providing a theoretical foundation for precision rice production oriented toward "variety-specific cultivation and quality-targeted fertilization."
Keywords: Amylose, Japonica rice, Panicle Nitrogen fertilizer, quality, yield
Received: 12 Nov 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ding, Xu, Wang, Xu, Guan, Long and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Weihua Long
Longmei Wu
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