Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Water-Saving and Efficiency-Enhancing Techniques for Dry-Seeded Rice

Dry-seeded rice is a cultivation technique that is drought-resistant, water-saving and efficiency-enhancing. It can not only save 25%-40% of irrigation water compared with ordinary rice, but also reduce operational procedures in rice production such as raising seedlings and transplanting, and its economic benefits are obvious compared with the production of dryland grains such as corn and sorghum under the same conditions.
Dry-seeded rice refers to the field water management of rice after sowing and emergence following a regular wet irrigation pattern, just like dryland crops such as wheat and corn. The ecological characteristics of its paddy field are that the moisture status remains a dryland state, and it is mainly applied in areas or fields with low rainfall and poor irrigation conditions. Its key techniques are:
In the early stage of dry-seeded rice, emergence relies on natural soil moisture, so plots that are relatively low-lying, flat and fertile, and have certain irrigation conditions should be selected. In northern regions, sowing is generally carried out from mid-April to mid-April. Seeds must be carefully selected. To avoid damage from underground pests, seeds should be dressed with chemicals, and the sowing rate should be appropriately increased, preferably about 10 kg per mu.
In order to promote seedling root development and enhance drought resistance, about 15 kg of starter fertilizer and about 35 kg of superphosphate should be applied in combination with land preparation at sowing. Most soils in the north are deficient in zinc, and zinc deficiency is even more obvious in fields with continuous dry-seeded rice cropping, so zinc fertilizer should be applied as appropriate.
During the process of dry-seeded rice, where water sources are convenient, watering should be done every 3-5 days, ensuring that the previous water is not visible when the next water is applied, and that the soil appears moist but not dry; where water sources are insufficient, the 5 key waterings should be ensured, namely tillering water, stem elongation water, booting water, heading water and grain-filling water, so as to ensure that the limited water resources are used where they are most needed.