PubMed · 2026-01-30
Rice yield depends on the plant's ability to coordinate light signals, photosynthesis, and nitrogen uptake in a tightly integrated feedback loop. This review identifies transcription factor networks as central control hubs for that coordination, offering concrete targets for breeding rice varieties that produce higher yields with less fertilizer input.
Light, carbon, and nitrogen pathways operate as a single interdependent regulatory network in rice, not as separate systems; nitrogen status shapes light signaling efficiency, which in turn feeds back to regulate nitrogen uptake.
Transcription factor networks serve as central integration hubs, simultaneously coordinating photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen assimilation, and reproductive development to determine final grain yield.
Carbon-nitrogen balance governs both the physical architecture of the plant and its developmental timing, making it a high-leverage target for breeding resource-efficient, high-yielding rice varieties.
