Rice is the largest consumer of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) fertilizers in India. Credit: Subhra Priyadarshini
Rice variety CR Dhan, from India’s eastern coast, is the most efficient at absorbing and using phosphorus and nitrogen for growth1.

A study comparing three popular rice varieties ranked Panvel 1 from the western coast and southern India’s Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) second and third respectively in their phosphorus and nitrogen use efficiency (PUE and NUE). Researchers at the Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in New Delhi identified 12 key phenotypic traits and five common genes linked to PUE and NUE.

The researchers exposed each variety to different amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. They studied 46 different plant characteristics, including traits related to growth such as height and leaf size, how well the plant used nutrients, for example, rate of photosynthesis, and how it produced grain.

They found 21 traits related to NUE, 22 related to PUE, and 12 important for both. "We focused on rice because rice is the largest consumer of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) fertilizers in India,” says study co-author Nandula Raghuram. The findings could help cut fertilizer costs and curb pollution from excessive agricultural use.