The researchers tested different ways of giving nitrogen to semi-late rice plants. They found that the rice grew better when the nitrogen was split into three parts: some at the beginning, some when the plants were growing, and some when they were flowering. The best ratios were either 5.4 parts at the beginning, 3.6 parts while growing, and 6 parts while flowering, or 1.8 parts at the beginning, 1.2 parts while growing, and 3 parts while flowering.