The rice circadian clock orchestrates the rhizosphere microbiome to synchronize nitrogen supply with plant demand.

The rice circadian clock component Nhd1 synchronizes rhizosphere microbial activity with plant nitrogen demand, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency by up to 40%.

• Why it matters: Optimizing nitrogen use efficiency is crucial for sustainable agriculture, but current mismatches between soil nitrogen supply and crop demand limit productivity and environmental health.
• What they did: Researchers examined Nhd1's role in rice by analyzing rhythmic root exudation patterns and microbial gene regulation, revealing how Nhd1 controls diurnal secretion of compounds like quercetin 3-gentiobioside and baimaside.
• The result: Aligning microbial nitrogen cycling with plant nitrogen uptake through Nhd1-driven rhythms increased grain yield and NUE in field trials, especially in cultivars with weaker Nhd1 alleles, offering a practical approach to improve crop sustainability.