Effects of organic cultivation on grain yield, quality and aroma of fragrant rice

Abstract To explore the effects of organic cultivation management on the comprehensive grain quality (nutritional, physical and sensory aroma quality) and yield of fragrant rice, field experiments with two modes of organic cultivation and conventional inorganic cultivation were conducted in this study. Compared with traditional inorganic cultivation, organic cultivation mode has lower yield and thousand grain weight of fragrant rice, and significantly affects key nutritional quality indicators: it improved amylose content in the early growing season, reduced crude protein content while increasing amylose content in the late season. Non targeted flavor omics techniques were used to study and analyze the effects of organic cultivation on the aroma of fragrant rice. A total of eighty-four differential volatile organic compounds were identified. Among them, seventy-six volatiles were decreased under organic cultivation practices, one volatile was increased, and one additional volatile compound was newly detected. Flavor classification analysis based on the flavor sensory database showed that organic cultivation practices reduced six sensory flavors of fragrant rice, including sweet, green, herbal, camphor, fruit, and woody. However, no statistically significant influence was observed in four sensory characteristics, namely fresh, aldehydic, citrus, and fatty notes. This study indicates that organic cultivation significantly changes the comprehensive grain quality of fragrant rice, manifested in the reduction or absence of various sensory flavor volatiles, providing scientific basis for further improving organic cultivation techniques.