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Spatiotemporally Matched Nitrogen Release from a Double Core-Shell Urea Improves Rice Growth
Summary
Researchers evaluated a novel double core-shell controlled-release urea fertilizer designed to match the biphasic nitrogen uptake pattern of rice plants. Over a two-year field experiment, the fertilizer delivered two distinct nitrogen release peaks aligned with vegetative and reproductive growth stages, improving photosynthetic efficiency and grain yield. The study suggests this approach could reduce nitrogen fertilizer input by nearly 17% without compromising rice yields.
Photosynthetic efficiency and dry matter accumulation are essential for achieving high rice yields, yet conventional controlled-release fertilizers often fail to synchronize nitrogen (N) supply with crop demand. In this study, we evaluated a novel double core–shell controlled-release urea (DCSCRU) designed to align with the bimodal N uptake pattern of rice. A two-year field experiment was conducted to compare DCSCRU at three application rates (180, 225, and 270 kg N ha−1) with conventional urea and conventional controlled-release urea (both at 270 kg N ha−1). DCSCRU exhibited a distinct biphasic N release profile, with a rapid initial release peaking at 1.60% d −1 on day 10 to meet early vegetative demand, followed by a second peak (1.85% d−1 on day 45) supporting reproductive development. Compared with conventional urea, DCSCRU treatments significantly improved photosynthetic efficiency and dry matter accumulation during critical growth stages. The 270 kg N ha−1 DCSCRU treatment achieved a grain yield exceeding 11.50 × 103 kg ha−1, substantially higher than that of conventional urea. Notably, the 225 kg N ha−1 DCSCRU treatment produced a comparable yield (10.90 × 103 kg ha−1) to that of the conventional urea treatment (10.83 × 103 kg ha−1), indicating the potential to reduce N input by 16.7% without compromising yield. The enhanced physiological performance was attributed to improved N availability and optimized canopy function. These findings highlight DCSCRU as a promising strategy for high-yield, resource-efficient, and environmentally sustainable rice production.
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