Physiological and transcriptomic analysis reveal the regulatory mechanism underlying grain quality improvement induced by rice ratooning

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ratoon rice cropping has been introduced for increased rice production in southern China and, as a result, has been becoming increasingly popular. However, only a few studies have addressed the regulatory mechanism underlying grain quality improvement induced by rice ratooning. RESULTS In this study, parameters of rice quality, including head rice yield, chalky grain percentage, grain chalkiness degree, hardness and taste value, were shown to be much improved in the ratooning season rice as compared to its counterparts main and late cropping season rice, indicating that such an improvement was irrespective of seasonal effects. In addition, the nutritional components of grains varied greatly between main‐cropping season rice, ratooning season rice and late‐cropping season rice and displayed a significant correlation with rice quality. Finally, the regulatory mechanism underlying rice quality improvement revealed that gibberellin‐dominated regulation and plant hormone signal transduction jointly contributed to a decrease in formation of chalky grains. CONCLUSION This work improves our knowledge on rice quality improvement under rice ratooning, particularly on the regulatory mechanism of plant hormones. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Appropriate Stubble Height Can Effectively Improve the Rice Quality of Ratoon Rice

“…This cultivation approach offers several advantages, including improved efficiency in time Foods 2024, 13, 1392 2 of 12 and labor, higher yields, and substantial economic benefits [3][4][5]. Southern China is the main region for ratoon rice cultivation, covering over one million hectares and producing an average grain yield of 4500 kg per hectare [6]. Furthermore, the annual increase in the cultivation area of ratoon rice in China suggests a growing adoption of this model in the southern regions.…”

“…Rice quality assessment generally includes four aspects: milling quality, appearance quality, cooking and taste quality, and nutritional quality [7]. A previous study has demonstrated significant improvements in the rice quality indicators such as head rice rate, chalkiness, and taste value during the ratoon season compared to the main season and late-season rice of the double-cropping system [6]. Yuan et al [8] found that both the milling and appearance qualities of rice in the ratoon season markedly exceed those of the main season.…”