Nitrogen Use Traits of Different Rice for Three Planting Modes in a Rice-Wheat Rotation System
Arnab Majumdar
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors,
The submitted manuscript contributes to basic agronomic knowledge, especially those related to nitrogen fertilization of rice, a very important crop for the area where the authors come from. Certainly, the agronomic significance of the work is great. The paper is written concisely and clearly, all the postulates related to this kind of basic research are used, so the review could be said to be too banal in some respects. I believe that this argument is well-founded because today's knowledge and research in the field of nitrogen uptake by cereals is at a higher level. However, we should thank you for your effort and the work that is inevitably shown in this paper, especially if you consider that a significant amount of physical work was involved, and that the research was conducted outside. The literature was chosen according to the key, as high quality as possible for the later discussion, and contemporaneity, so recent works that contribute to contemporary research on this issue were sought.
I believe that the work is an a contribution to agronomy science, and it should certainly be accepted for publication with minor changes.
Through a few comments, I would like to help the authors, future readers and finally the editors to make the manuscript better and clearer together with the comments that it will receive from other reviewers.
Line:
48 - I suggest that the lines do not start with the symbol for nitrogen N, I think it is permissible that in the paper, even though the authors decided to replace the term nitrogen with the abbreviation "N", they still use the full name of this element. I think that it is permissible in other places in the manuscript, but especially at the beginning of the sentence, it can disturb the reader's flow of following the sentences, and thus the thoughts of the author.
118 - I think that the authors should explain in a little more detail why they chose the selected cultivars in certain categories to be the subject of their research. Is the reason their availability, representation on the market or something else? A reader unfamiliar with rice cultivars may use this to get a broader picture of the basis of this selection. Likewise, some breeding characteristics of the selected cultivars in the research would be useful if they were listed in order to expand the picture and gain clarity as to why they are in the research.
148 – I understand the reasons for the introduction of this concept, but does it not violate the structure of the uniformity of the experimental design? Please provide a broader explanation or an example of a similar concept that has already been applied for this type of research.
156 - I believe that a broader clarification of the type of crop protection against harmful organisms that was applied is necessary. Is it the conventional way or the integrated way? Have measures been considered to control harmful organisms in rice in a non-pesticide way with the aim of reducing the use of pesticides?
162 – I believe that sampling and measurement is extremely poorly explained. It is understandable that the authors are completely clear about how they caused and measured individual data according to the experimental plan, which they later used in the analyzes and data processing, but this may not necessarily be clear to readers who are familiar with the author's routine sampling procedures. Clarification is needed.
169 - Statistical package SPSS 20.0 - should be referenced in the bibliography.
Author Response
Reviewer: 1
The submitted manuscript contributes to basic agronomic knowledge, especially those related to nitrogen fertilization of rice, a very important crop for the area where the authors come from. Certainly, the agronomic significance of the work is great. The paper is written concisely and clearly, all the postulates related to this kind of basic research are used, so the review could be said to be too banal in some respects. I believe that this argument is well-founded because today's knowledge and research in the field of nitrogen uptake by cereals is at a higher level. However, we should thank you for your effort and the work that is inevitably shown in this paper, especially if you consider that a significant amount of physical work was involved, and that the research was conducted outside. The literature was chosen according to the key, as high quality as possible for the later discussion, and contemporaneity, so recent works that contribute to contemporary research on this issue were sought.
I believe that the work is an a contribution to agronomy science, and it should certainly be accepted for publication with minor changes.
Through a few comments, I would like to help the authors, future readers and finally the editors to make the manuscript better and clearer together with the comments that it will receive from other reviewers.
Line: 48 - I suggest that the lines do not start with the symbol for nitrogen N, I think it is permissible that in the paper, even though the authors decided to replace the term nitrogen with the abbreviation "N", they still use the full name of this element. I think that it is permissible in other places in the manuscript, but especially at the beginning of the sentence, it can disturb the reader's flow of following the sentences, and thus the thoughts of the author.
Answer: Revised.
118 - I think that the authors should explain in a little more detail why they chose the selected cultivars in certain categories to be the subject of their research. Is the reason their availability, representation on the market or something else? A reader unfamiliar with rice cultivars may use this to get a broader picture of the basis of this selection. Likewise, some breeding characteristics of the selected cultivars in the research would be useful if they were listed in order to expand the picture and gain clarity as to why they are in the research.
Answer: The information has been added in the revised manuscript.
148 – I understand the reasons for the introduction of this concept, but does it not violate the structure of the uniformity of the experimental design? Please provide a broader explanation or an example of a similar concept that has already been applied for this type of research.
Answer: Revised.
156 - I believe that a broader clarification of the type of crop protection against harmful organisms that was applied is necessary. Is it the conventional way or the integrated way? Have measures been considered to control harmful organisms in rice in a non-pesticide way with the aim of reducing the use of pesticides?
Answer: The information has been added in the revised manuscript.
162 – I believe that sampling and measurement is extremely poorly explained. It is understandable that the authors are completely clear about how they caused and measured individual data according to the experimental plan, which they later used in the analyzes and data processing, but this may not necessarily be clear to readers who are familiar with the author's routine sampling procedures. Clarification is needed.
Answer: The information has been added in the revised manuscript.
169 - Statistical package SPSS 20.0 - should be referenced in the bibliography.
Answer: The reference has been added in the revised manuscript.
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript presented results that are related to the N-uptake and use efficiency considering different plantation modes and rice cultivars. Although results are promising, a few comments are given to improve the quality-
1. Please revise the title. It is not a mature title at present.
2. Please provide experimental details of the chemical analyses related to N assessments.
3. Soil physico-chemical properties should be included that actually influence the N chemistry in the soil. Also provide some complementary soil nutritional values that control the physical growth of rice plants, as N is not the only sole nutrient and plant growth regulator.
4. Please do not repeat the result-related statements in the discussion. The discussion should analyse the results obtained and not rewrite them. Provide chemical reasoning for how soil properties might be involved in different plantation systems (CM/DM/PM).
5. Also provide some reasoning that why the JIHR is a better rice cultivar.
Author Response
Reviewer: 2
The manuscript presented results that are related to the N-uptake and use efficiency considering different plantation modes and rice cultivars. Although results are promising, a few comments are given to improve the quality.
- Please revise the title. It is not a mature title at present.
Answer: Revised.
- Please provide experimental details of the chemical analyses related to N assessments.
Answer: Revised.
- Soil physico-chemical properties should be included that actually influence the N chemistry in the soil. Also provide some complementary soil nutritional values that control the physical growth of rice plants, as N is not the only sole nutrient and plant growth regulator.
Answer: Revised.
- Please do not repeat the result-related statements in the discussion. The discussion should analyse the results obtained and not rewrite them. Provide chemical reasoning for how soil properties might be involved in different plantation systems (CM/DM/PM).
Answer: Revised.
- Also provide some reasoning that why the JIHR is a better rice cultivar.
Answer: Revised.
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
At present, the manuscript is more composed and justified. It can be processed further.
