Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations

Climate-change-induced temperature fluctuations pose significant threats to global rice production, particularly through their impact on photosynthetic efficiency. The differential mechanisms by which low and high temperatures affect leaf photosynthetic processes in rice remain poorly understood. He...

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Main Authors: Zhuang Xiong, Fangzhou Zheng, Chao Wu, Hui Tang, Dongliang Xiong, Kehui Cui, Shaobing Peng, Jianliang Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/961
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author Zhuang Xiong
Fangzhou Zheng
Chao Wu
Hui Tang
Dongliang Xiong
Kehui Cui
Shaobing Peng
Jianliang Huang
author_facet Zhuang Xiong
Fangzhou Zheng
Chao Wu
Hui Tang
Dongliang Xiong
Kehui Cui
Shaobing Peng
Jianliang Huang
author_sort Zhuang Xiong
collection DOAJ
description Climate-change-induced temperature fluctuations pose significant threats to global rice production, particularly through their impact on photosynthetic efficiency. The differential mechanisms by which low and high temperatures affect leaf photosynthetic processes in rice remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effects of temperature stress (15 °C, 30 °C, 45 °C) on rice photosynthetic performance across a gradient of nitrogen supply levels: low nitrogen (LN), medium nitrogen (MN), and high nitrogen (HN). The low temperature exhibited stronger negative impacts on photosynthesis than the high temperature, primarily through increased mesophyll limitation and disrupted cellular CO<sub>2</sub> diffusion, while the high temperature showed less pronounced effects, particularly under HN and MN conditions. While photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) decreased with increasing nitrogen under the optimal temperature, moderate nitrogen supply maintained optimal PNUE under temperature stress, suggesting that a balanced nitrogen level is crucial for maximizing both photosynthetic capacity and nitrogen use efficiency. Plants with adequate nitrogen maintained higher intrinsic water use efficiency (<sub>i</sub><i>WUE</i>) under both temperature extremes through improved coordination between CO<sub>2</sub> uptake and water loss. Our findings reveal distinct mechanisms underlying low- and high-temperature stress effects on photosynthesis and highlight the importance of optimizing nitrogen management for enhancing crop resilience to temperature extremes under climate change.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2223-7747
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publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Plants
spelling doaj-art-9ff5024ece7d49ea8c9a45cc519e0d762025-08-20T03:43:29ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-03-0114696110.3390/plants14060961Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water RelationsZhuang Xiong0Fangzhou Zheng1Chao Wu2Hui Tang3Dongliang Xiong4Kehui Cui5Shaobing Peng6Jianliang Huang7Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Phytochemicals and Sustainable Utilization, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaGuangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Phytochemicals and Sustainable Utilization, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, ChinaGuangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Phytochemicals and Sustainable Utilization, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaClimate-change-induced temperature fluctuations pose significant threats to global rice production, particularly through their impact on photosynthetic efficiency. The differential mechanisms by which low and high temperatures affect leaf photosynthetic processes in rice remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effects of temperature stress (15 °C, 30 °C, 45 °C) on rice photosynthetic performance across a gradient of nitrogen supply levels: low nitrogen (LN), medium nitrogen (MN), and high nitrogen (HN). The low temperature exhibited stronger negative impacts on photosynthesis than the high temperature, primarily through increased mesophyll limitation and disrupted cellular CO<sub>2</sub> diffusion, while the high temperature showed less pronounced effects, particularly under HN and MN conditions. While photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) decreased with increasing nitrogen under the optimal temperature, moderate nitrogen supply maintained optimal PNUE under temperature stress, suggesting that a balanced nitrogen level is crucial for maximizing both photosynthetic capacity and nitrogen use efficiency. Plants with adequate nitrogen maintained higher intrinsic water use efficiency (<sub>i</sub><i>WUE</i>) under both temperature extremes through improved coordination between CO<sub>2</sub> uptake and water loss. Our findings reveal distinct mechanisms underlying low- and high-temperature stress effects on photosynthesis and highlight the importance of optimizing nitrogen management for enhancing crop resilience to temperature extremes under climate change.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/961nitrogentemperaturephotosynthesisphotosynthetic nitrogen use efficiencyintrinsic water use efficiency
spellingShingle Zhuang Xiong
Fangzhou Zheng
Chao Wu
Hui Tang
Dongliang Xiong
Kehui Cui
Shaobing Peng
Jianliang Huang
Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
Plants
nitrogen
temperature
photosynthesis
photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency
intrinsic water use efficiency
title Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
title_full Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
title_fullStr Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
title_full_unstemmed Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
title_short Nitrogen Supply Mitigates Temperature Stress Effects on Rice Photosynthetic Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Water Relations
title_sort nitrogen supply mitigates temperature stress effects on rice photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency and water relations
topic nitrogen
temperature
photosynthesis
photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency
intrinsic water use efficiency
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/6/961
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AT chaowu nitrogensupplymitigatestemperaturestresseffectsonricephotosyntheticnitrogenuseefficiencyandwaterrelations
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