Biological agents and plant growth regulator promote rice growth and regenerative capacity

Against the backdrop of global population and food demand growth, the development of ratoon rice is conducive to increasing food production and ensuring food security. Applying agricultural biotechnology and plant growth regulator to ratoon rice production is a key measure to promote the development of green agriculture and address the challenges of global food security. A total of 4 treatments were set up in this study: T1 (regulator); T2 (biological agent made from plant materials); T3 (microbial agent); and control (CK). The results showed that T3 up-regulated many key genes (OsHsfC1b, OsCNGC16, OsOSM1, OsSAPK9, and DTH2, etc.) and metabolites (spermine, citric acid, riboflavin, and shikimic acid). T2 was found to up-regulate key genes OsAPT2, OsZIP8, OsCIPK14, OsCIPK7, OsPR4c, and OsVIT2, and its regulatory effects involved carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, etc. In addition, the two biological agents and one regulator significantly increased the accumulation of stem dry matter and yield in the first season. T1, T2, and T3 significantly increased the final regenerative capacity of Yongyou4949 at D5 (fifth node from the top); T1 and T2 significantly increased the maximum and final regenerative capacities of Shuangliangyou138 at D5. This study provided guidance for developing more effective agricultural management strategies, which is conducive to the sustainable development of agriculture.