Optimum Nitrogen Application Acclimatizes Root Morpho-Physiological Traits and Yield Potential in Rice under Subtropical Conditions

Nitrogen (N) is a highly essential macronutrient for plant root growth and grain yield (GY). To assess the relationship among N, root traits, and the yield of boro (dry season irrigated) rice, a pot experiment was performed in the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, during the boro rice season of 2020–2021. Three boro rice varieties, namely BRRI dhan29, Hira-2, and Binadhan-10, were planted at four N doses: 0 kg ha(−1) (N(0)), 70 kg ha(−1) (N(70)), 140 kg ha(−1) (N(140)), and 210 kg ha(−1) (N(210)). The experiment was conducted following a completely randomized design with three replicates. The varieties were evaluated for root number (RN), root length (RL), root volume (RV), root porosity (RP), leaf area index (LAI), total dry matter (TDM), and yield. The results indicated that the Binadhan-10, Hira-2, and BRRI dhan29 varieties produced better root characteristics under at the N(140) and N(210) levels. A substantial positive association was noticed between the grain yield and the root traits, except for root porosity. Based on the root traits and growth dynamics, Binadhan-10 performed the best at the N(140) level and produced the highest grain yield (26.96 g pot(−1)), followed by Hira-2 (26.35 g pot(−1)) and BRRI dhan29 (25.90 g pot(−1)).