The study looked at how a special type of fertilizer for rice plants can help them use nitrogen more efficiently. By using a special technique, the researchers found that this fertilizer had lower losses of nitrogen through evaporation and leaching compared to regular fertilizer. It also had less nitrogen lost through a process called nitrification-denitrification. The leftover nitrogen in the soil was mostly found in the top 35cm layer. Overall, the rice plants treated with the special fertilizer had a higher nitrogen recovery rate and produced 25.5% more grain compared to those treated with regular fertilizer.