Enhancing photosynthesis and yield in rice with improved N use efficiency

The success of the dwarf breeding of rice, called the Green Revolution in Asia, resulted from increased source and sink capacities depending on significant inputs of N fertilizer. Although N fertilization is essential for increasing cereal production, large inputs of N application have significantly impacted the environment. Transgenic rice overproducing Rubisco has demonstrated increased yields with improved N use efficiency for increasing biomass production under high N fertilization in a paddy field. A large grain cultivar, Akita 63, had a high yield by enlarging the sink capacity without photosynthesis improvement. However, source capacity strongly limited the yield potential under high N fertilization. Enhancing photosynthesis is important for further increasing the yield of current high-yielding cultivars. Developing innovative rice plants with both high photosynthesis and large sink capacity is essential.

Automated summary

The success of dwarf breeding of rice is attributed to increased source and sink capacities dependent on significant inputs of N fertilizer, which has had an impact on the environment. Transgenic rice overproducing Rubisco has shown improved N use efficiency in paddy fields under high N fertilization. Enhancing photosynthesis is crucial for increasing the yield of high-yielding cultivars.