Rice (var. Nanjing 44) seedlings with three leaves were transplanted
to the mesocosms on 6 June 2012. Each mesocosm included
2 hills of rice seedlings and each hill contained 2 individuals. Water
was first added to each mesocosm to maintain a water level of
5 cm above the soil surface during growth. N fertilizer was applied
in the proportion of 60%, 30% and 10% at the initial, tillering and
grain-filling stages, respectively. P and K fertilizer were applied in
the initial stage only. Compound fertilizer (N: P2O5: K2O= 15: 15:
15) was used as initial fertilization, and urea was applied as the
tillering and grain-filling fertilization. Other management was the
same as local rice production. Rice was harvested on 5 November
2012.