Division of Rice Production Regions in Guangdong and Analysis of the Characteristics of Each Region

Guangdong Province is bordered by the Nanling Mountains to the north and the South China Sea to the south, with vast rice-growing areas; rice is cultivated from tidal fields at sea level to mountain terraces at an elevation of one thousand meters. Guangdong has a monsoon subtropical and tropical climate. The safe growth period for rice is 220-280 days in most places. The rice-growing season is long; for example, in Guangzhou the early rice is generally sown in early March and harvested in mid-July; typical late rice varieties are sown in late June, reach full heading around October 10, and are harvested in mid-November; the "fanqiu" (second cropping of early rice) reaches full heading in early to mid-July. Abundant rainfall and long sunshine hours are all conditions favorable to rice growth. However, Guangdong has many disastrous weather events, mainly: the "four winds," namely typhoons, cold-dew wind, Qingming wind, and dry hot wind; the "three waters," namely Dragon Boat water (Grain in Ear water), Autumnal Equinox water, and early-spring low-temperature continuous rain; and the "two droughts," namely spring drought and autumn drought. In addition, there are hazards such as rice blast, bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, the striped stem borer, the brown planthopper, and the rice leaf roller. Among natural disasters, typhoons and cold-dew wind are especially damaging. Guangdong Province has a large rice area, and the rice cropping system is mainly double-cropping rice. The rice-growing regions of Guangdong Province can be divided into 4 rice-growing regions.

(1) North Guangdong Rice-Growing Region. Located in the northern mountainous area north of Shakou in Yingde County. It is divided into two subregions: the Northwest Single-Cropping Rice Subregion and the North Guangdong Double-Cropping Rice Subregion. Rice fields are sparsely distributed, the elevation is high, the proportion of low-yield fields is relatively large, and water conservancy conditions are relatively poor. It belongs to the severe rice blast region of Guangdong Province. This rice-growing region has a small rice area and a short safe growth period for rice; autumn cold comes early, and it belongs to the severe cold-dew wind region. Typhoon damage is very slight, annual sunshine hours are few, spring rain is relatively plentiful, autumn is prone to drought, and the original per-unit yield was relatively low. Early rice is mainly medium-maturity varieties, and late rice is mostly early-maturing thermosensitive hybrid rice. Except for some places in the northwest where single-cropping rice predominates, double-cropping rice is generally grown. The rice-growing season is short, spring sowing is late, autumn harvest is early, and the summer harvest and summer planting farm work is very tight.

(2) Central-North Rice-Growing Region. Located in the central-northern hilly area from south of Shakou in Yingde County to north of Guangzhou, with the southern boundary roughly passing near the Tropic of Cancer. It is divided into three subregions: the Hanjiang River Hilly Subregion, the East River and North River Hilly Subregion, and the West River Hilly Subregion. Rice fields are rather sparsely distributed, water conservancy conditions are good, and about 69% of rice fields are guaranteed against drought and flooding. The lower reaches of the North River and West River are prone to flood and waterlogging damage, and soil erosion in the Hanjiang River and North River basins is relatively severe, often affecting rice fields. It belongs to the relatively severe rice blast and bacterial leaf blight region within Guangdong Province. This rice-growing region has a relatively large rice area, relatively high total output, and a medium per-unit yield level. This rice-growing region has a relatively short safe growth period for rice; autumn cold comes relatively early, and it belongs to the relatively severe cold-dew wind region of Guangdong Province. Double-cropping rice predominates, while low-lying fields and pond fields grow one rice crop a year. Both early and late rice varieties are mainly medium-maturity. The rice-growing season is relatively short, spring sowing is relatively late, autumn harvest is relatively early, and the summer harvest and summer planting farm work is tight.

(3) Central-South Rice-Growing Region. Located in the central-southern coastal plains and hilly areas south of Guangzhou. It is divided into five subregions: the Chaoshan Plain Subregion, the Southeast Coastal Hilly Subregion, the Pearl River Delta Subregion, the Southwest Coastal Hilly Subregion, and the Jianjiang River Hilly Subregion, with rice field area accounting for about 46% of the province. This rice-growing region has dense rice fields, at an elevation of 1-30 m. Water conservancy conditions are good or relatively good; the rice area is large, the per-unit yield is high, and the total output is great, making it the most important rice-producing area in Guangdong Province. This rice-growing region is the severe bacterial leaf blight region of Guangdong Province. Double-cropping rice predominates; early rice varieties are mainly late-maturing types, and late rice is mostly planted with early-maturing thermosensitive hybrid rice or conventional early rice as "fanqiu." Spring sowing is relatively early, autumn harvest is late, and the rice-growing season is relatively long. In addition to double cropping, there is also multiple cropping of rice with sugarcane, peanuts, and sweet potato.

(4) Southwest Rice-Growing Region. This rice-growing region is located on the Leizhou Peninsula. Spring drought is severe, and coupled with poor water conservancy conditions, the proportion of rice fields guaranteed against drought and flooding is relatively low. The safe growth period for rice is long, spring sowing is the earliest, and autumn harvest is relatively late. There are many typhoons, and it belongs to the severe typhoon region of Guangdong Province. Sunshine hours in the early season are greater than in the late season, which is one of the notable differences from other rice-growing regions. Spring is prone to drought, and autumn is rainy. It is a severe bacterial leaf blight region. This rice-growing region is mainly double-cropping rice, and there is also multiple cropping of rice with crops such as peanuts, sweet potato, and sugarcane.