Exogenous catechin enhances nitrogen use efficiency in rice by optimizing ammonium nitrogen transport and assimilation.
Exogenous catechin improves nitrogen use efficiency in rice by 28.5% through enhancing ammonium transport and assimilation.
- Why it matters: Low nitrogen use efficiency limits sustainable rice production, especially in low-N conditions, necessitating strategies to improve N uptake and utilization in different rice varieties.
- What they did: Hydroponic experiments tested five catechin concentrations on high- and low-NUE rice varieties, analyzing growth, N content, enzyme activities, and gene expression related to N transport and assimilation.
- The result: Optimal catechin concentration (20 mg/l) increased free amino acids and NUE, with low-NUE varieties responding more under low N, driven primarily by improved ammonium transport as shown by structural modeling.