Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Effects of number of seedlings per hill on rice biomass partitioning and yield in a saline-sodic soil

Author(s):

Ming-ming Wang ^{1, 2}, Zheng-wei Liang ^{1, 3*}, Fu Yang ^{1, 3}, Hong-yuan Ma ^{1, 3}, Li-hua Huang ^{1, 3}, Miao Liu ^{1, 2}

Recieved Date: 2009-10-26, Accepted Date: 2010-04-02

Abstract:

It is assumed that crop grain yields could be increased by increasing the number of mainstems relative to tillers per unit area in salt-affected conditions. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a desalinization and alkalinity-consuming crop because of its ability to grow well in standing water. However, several studies have been reported on the relationship between grain yield and density relating to number of seedlings per hill in stressed conditions. To investigate the effects of number of seedlings per hill on the rice biomass partitioning between shoot (aboveground part) and root, grain yield, and its components in a saline-sodic soil, an experiment consisting of six levels of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 seedlings per hill with a fixed hill density was conducted at Da’an Sodic Land Experiment Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Jilin province of North-East China. The results showed rice plant biomass which was partitioned to shoot significantly increased from 1 seedling to 7 seedlings per hill, and kept invariable from 9 to 11 seedlings per hill during the growing season. Grain yield decreased linearly with the increasing root-shoot allometric coefficients (R²=0.903, p<0.01).Panicle density was the important component for yield , and spikelets per panicle for seed weight per panicle, from 1 to 9 seedlings per hill probably both due to higher tolerance of mainstems to salinity and alkalinity compared with subtillers. By comparison, seed weight per panicle at 11 seedlings per hill was a more important component of yield than panicle density, and percent filled grain was the important component for seed weight per panicle, possibly due to increasing percentage of spikelets on the primary rachis-branches. Grain yield significantly increased from 1 to 9 seedlings per hill, and then leveled off. We suggest the cultivation of 9 seedlings per hill, which was significantly more than the recommended cultivation (3-5 seedlings per hill), should be adopted in a saline-sodic soil.

Keywords:

Allometry, biomass partitioning, density, rice, saline-sodic soil, sand amelioration

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 628-633

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