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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #286048
Title: Vulnerability of lodging risk to elevated CO2 and increased soil temperature differs between rice cultivars

Author
item ZHU, CHUNWU - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item Ziska, Lewis
item SAKAI, HIDEMITSU - National Institute For Agro-Environmental Sciences
item ZHU, JIANGUO - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item HASEGAWA, TOSHIHIRO - National Institute For Agro-Environmental Sciences

Submitted to: European Journal of Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2012
Publication Date: 3/1/2013
Citation: Zhu, C., Ziska, L.H., Sakai, H., Zhu, J., Hasegawa, T. 2013. Vulnerability of lodging risk to elevated CO2 and increased soil temperature differs between rice cultivars. European Journal of Agronomy. 46:20-24.

Interpretive Summary: Rising levels of carbon dioxide and an unstable climate may negatively impact rice yields. One way that this could occur is through increased lodging, whereby the plant falls over in the field, and is susceptible to disease and decay. Using a field system in Japan to simulate warmer soil/water temperatures and increased carbon dioxide, two different rice varieties, KH (Koshihikari) and SY (Shan you 63), were grown at two levels of carbon dioxide, current and that expected by the year 2040, as well as two soil temperatures (current and +2 degrees Celsius) over a two year period to assess and quantify lodging risk. Elevated carbon dioxide resulted in a significant improvement in lodging resistance for cultivar KH, with the improvement associated with thicker stems and a small change in the plant’s biomass and height. In contrast, elevated carbon dioxide and higher soil temperatures increased lodging for SY, due to a relatively higher increase in plant biomass and height at the elevated, relative to the ambient carbon dioxide condition. These findings illustrate that lodging susceptibility in rice, an important cereal crop, can be increased by rising carbon dioxide and/or soil temperatures; however, there may be sufficient variability within rice varieties to begin breeding for rice lines that minimize the potential risk of lodging with climate change. This information will be of interest to agronomists, rice breeders and those interested in food security.

Technical Abstract: Anthropogenic increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, [CO2], and subsequent increases in surface temperatures, are likely to impact the growth and yield of cereal crops. One means for yield reduction is for climate parameters to increase the occurrence of lodging. Using an in situ free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) system, two morphologically distinct rice cultivars, KH (Koshihikari) and SY (Shan you 63), were grown at two carbon dioxide concentrations (ambient and ambient + 200 ppm) and two soil temperatures (ambient and ambient +2 degrees Celsius) over a two year period to assess and quantify lodging risk. Elevated [CO2] per se resulted in a significant improvement in lodging resistance for cultivar KH, with the improvement associated with a thicker internode and a small change in the plant’s biomass and height. In contrast, elevated [CO2] and higher soil temperatures increased lodging for SY, due to a relatively higher increase in plant biomass and height at the elevated, relative to the ambient [CO2] condition. Elevated soil temperature per se increased lodging risk for both varieties due to the longer internodes in the lower portion of the tillers. These findings illustrate that lodging susceptibility in rice, an important cereal crop, can be increased by rising [CO2] and/or soil temperatures; however, there may be sufficient intraspecific variability to begin choosing rice lines that minimize the potential risk of lodging.