The green revolution’s breeding of semi-dwarf rice cultivars in the 1960s improved crop yields, with large increases in the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. However, excess N application has caused serious environmental problems, including acid rain and the eutrophication of rivers and oceans. To use N to improve crop yields, while minimizing the associated environmental costs, there is a need to produce crops with higher N-use efficiency and higher yield components. Here we show that transgenic rice overproducing ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase–oxygenase (Rubisco)—the key enzyme of photosynthesis—exhibits increased yields with improved N-use efficiency for increasing biomass production when receiving sufficient N fertilization in an experimental paddy field. This field experiment demonstrates an improvement in photosynthesis linked to yield increase due to a higher N-use efficiency in a major crop.

1960 年代绿色革命培育的半矮化水稻品种提高了作物产量，同时大幅增加了氮 (N) 肥料的使用。然而，过量施氮导致了严重的环境问题，包括酸雨和河流和海洋的富营养化。要使用 N 来提高作物产量，同时最大限度地减少相关的环境成本，需要生产具有更高 N 使用效率和更高产量成分的作物。在这里，我们展示了转基因水稻过量生产核酮糖 1,5-二磷酸羧化酶-加氧酶 (Rubisco)——光合作用的关键酶——在实验稻田中接受足够的 N 施肥时，表现出增加的产量和提高的 N 使用效率以增加生物量产量。