Lowering nitrogen rates under the system of rice intensification enhanced rice productivity and nitrogen use efficiency in irrigated lowland rice.

Among the essential plant nutrients, nitrogen (N) is the most important and universally deficient in rice cropping systems worldwide. Despite different practices available for improvement of N management, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is still very low in rice, particularly under conventional management practices. This study was conducted to assess the effect of two crop management practices including the system of rice intensification (SRI) versus conventional management practices (CP) with four N application levels (60, 90, 120, and 150 kg N ha) and absolute control (i.