Nitrogen fertilizer at heading stage effectively compensates for the deterioration of rice quality by affecting the starch-related properties under elevated temperatures.

Relevant evidence of rice quality responses to increased temperatures under field condition has been obtained in our previous study. Understanding the intrinsic mechanism of increased temperatures and fertilizer treatment in regulating rice quality formation will be contributed to the development of mitigation measures suitable for actual field operations and to cope with climate warming. This study investigated the potential role of nitrogen fertilizer in regulating the rice quality under field warming through identifying starch-related property indicators. Results showed application of nitrogen fertilizer at heading stage effectively delayed the significantly increased accumulation of total starch, amylose and amylopectin, and reduced the starch particle size, chain length distribution, and crystal structure induced by high temperature, which further compensated the deterioration of rice quality caused by elevated temperature.