2025-09-23 マサチューセッツ大学アマースト校
(a) Rice receiving selenium and 30% less fertilizer (RF+ Se ENMs) is far bulkier than rice receiving less fertilizer (RF) and comparable to conventionally grown rice (CK). (b) Field experiment testing the greenhouse gas emissions of rice with nano-treatments of selenium.
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.umass.edu/news/article/scientists-show-how-grow-more-nutritious-rice-uses-less-fertilizer
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2508456122
ナノテクノロジーによる茎根系の協調作用が稲の窒素利用効率を向上 Nanotechnology-driven coordination of shoot–root systems enhances rice nitrogen use efficiency
Chuanxi Wang, Bingxu Cheng, Zhenggao Xiao, +6 , and Baoshan Xing
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Published:September 24, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2508456122
Significance
While nanotechnology’s agricultural potential is recognized, its mechanistic role in modulating crop nutrient utilization, particularly nitrogen dynamics, remains unresolved. Herein, we elucidate how foliar application of selenium-based nanomaterials enhances nitrogen use efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in paddy field by stimulating photosynthetic activity and subsequently regulating rhizosphere processes. This approach yields superior environmental and economic benefits compared to conventional practices. Moreover, by systematically investigating the above- and belowground synergies, we provide insights into the mechanistic basis of nanotechnology-enabled enhancement of crop nutrient utilization. These findings underscore the nanomaterial’s potential to advance sustainable agricultural practices, offering a viable strategy for balancing food production needs with ecological preservation objectives in the context of global climate change.
Abstract
Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agricultural production can reduce fertilizer input, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and decrease water pollution incidence. However, improving NUE in farming systems without compromising food security remains challenging. Herein, we have successfully developed and applied selenium-based nanotechnology, which capitalizes on above- and belowground synergies to enhance field-scale NUE. Specifically, when N fertilizer application was reduced by 30%, foliar application of selenium nanomaterials significantly enhanced rice photosynthesis by 40.3% compared with reduced N fertilizer treatment (189 kg N/ha). This enhancement promoted carbohydrate synthesis and translocation, providing abundant carbon sources for rhizosphere processes. These abundant carbon sources modulated rhizosphere N transformation processes, stimulating ammonification and nitrification while suppressing denitrification, thereby reducing methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide emissions by 18.8 to 45.6%. In addition, compared with controls (270 kg N/ha), our approach improved rice root growth and upregulated gene expression associated with N uptake and translocation, increasing rice NUE (48.3%). While maintaining comparable yields to conventional practice, we observed significant improvements in rice quality parameters including crude protein, amino acids, and Se content. Furthermore, the application of this above- and belowground synergistic nano-regulation technology reduced environmental negative impacts by 41.0% and increased economic benefits by 38.2% per ton of rice produced, relative to conventional practices. This work elucidates how nano-enabled agricultural regulation achieves reduced input, enhanced efficiency, and increased income, emphasizing the high potential of nanotechnology in agricultural applications, particularly in improving the utilization efficiency of N fertilizers.
