Rice dep1 variety maintains larger stomatal conductance to enhance photosynthesis under low nitrogen conditions

The DEP1 gene, which corresponds to the erect panicle architecture, shows a pleiotropic effect in increasing grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in rice. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how nitrogen nutrition affects the photosynthesis in dep1 variety. In the study, we used W7, which carries the gain-of-function dep1 allele and its counterpart wild type plants, in pot trials under two nitrogen conditions. We investigated the differences in photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and other photosynthetic parameters between the two rice varieties at different levels of nitrogen supply. Our results indicate that dep1 has a higher photosynthetic capacity under low nitrogen conditions due to the larger stomatal conductance. This work reveals that dep1 is more adaptable under a low nitrogen environment by analysis from the perspective of photosynthesis, stomatal function, and nitrogen uptake and assimilation, which provides a theoretical basis for revealing the photosynthetic efficiency of dep1 variety under low nitrogen conditions.