Recent advances on nitrogen use efficiency in rice

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a daily staple food crop for more than half of the global population and improving productivity is an important task to meet future demands of the expanding world population. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilization improved rice growth and productivity in the world, but excess use causes environmental and economic issues. One of the main goals of rice breeding is reducing N fertilization while maintaining productivity. Therefore, enhancing rice nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is essential for the development of sustainable agriculture and has become urgently needed. Many studies have been conducted on the main steps in the use of N including uptake and transport, reduction and assimilation, and translocation and remobilization, and on transcription factors regulating N metabolism. Understanding of these complex processes provides a base for the development of novel strategies to improve NUE for rice productivity under varying N conditions.