Effect of Nitrogen and Silicon Nutrition on Bioactive Gibberellin and Growth of Rice under Field Conditions

Gibberellins are growth hormones that play a pivotal role in the growth and development of plants. Present investigations were carried to check the effect of nitrogen(N) and silicon(Si) on bioactive $GA_1$ and its immediate precursor $GA_{20}$ at different growth stages of two rice cultivars with different maturity traits. It was observed that the endogenous bioactive $GA_1$ level gradually increased during vegetative stage and anthesis stage of both Junghwabyeo(early flowering cultivar) and Daesanbyeo(late flowering cultivar). However, the $GA_1$ and $GA_{20}$ content start decreasing during the seed filling stage in both rice cultivars, which indicated a possible relationship of bioactive $GA_1$ and floral development. Our results also confirmed that early 13-hydroxylation pathway was operated at all developmental stages of rice plant. Variation in the levels of the endogenous gibberellins in rice shoots were measured by GCMS-SIM using $^2H_2$-labeled gibberellins as internal standards. Combined application of N and Si enhanced growth parameters and reduced lodging index of both rice cultivars. It was thus concluded that the level of physiologically active $GA_1$ increased during vegetative and early reproductive stage, but starts declining at seed filling stage.