What are the advantages of machine-sown rice? A detailed guide to the supporting cultivation techniques

Common rice transplanting methods include washed-field transplanting, machine transplanting, and seedling throwing. Based on the growth and development patterns of rice and the soil and climate characteristics of Hunan, we developed the "Shuhua 2BR-100 and 2BD-150 rice seeders" (patents already applied for). Using machine-sown rice and integrating practical high-yield techniques such as ridge cultivation, mud-paste valley covering, furrow opening, and single-grain shallow sowing, we solved the difficulties of achieving full stands, uniform seedlings, strong seedlings, and no seedling rot in a single sowing of rice; we fully tapped the tillering potential of rice, giving individuals good development (the highest effective panicle number per early rice plant reached 37), and we can achieve the goals of more panicles, more grains, greater grain weight, and higher yield.

I. Models and advantages of Shuhua brand rice seeders

1. Models: The Shuhua 2BD-150 powered rice seeder, powered by a 175 diesel engine tiller for pull-type sowing, sows 3335 sq m per hour; the Shuhua 2BR-100 manual rice seeder sows 1334 sq m per hour.

2. Advantages: Its main advantages are: sowing with this machine can save four to five labor-days per 667 sq m, reduce costs by about 160 yuan, increase rice yield by 50 kg to 80 kg, and raise income by about 250 yuan. After farmers buy and use this machine, the cost can be recovered within the same season, so the use benefit is high. From 1997 to 2004, trials and demonstrations were carried out in 7 prefecture-level cities including Changsha and Zhuzhou on nearly 266.7 hectares of early rice; 12 plots of early rice were measured and accepted for yield, with an average yield of 458 kg per 667 sq m; the late rice area was 2 hectares, and 10 plots of late rice were measured and accepted for yield, with an average yield of 431 kg per 667 sq m. In 2005, farmer Xiao Siping of Yungai Village, Lianhua Town, Wangcheng County, used machine sowing for early rice variety Zhongyouzao 9815 on a planting area of 1067 sq m, and the measured and accepted average rice yield was 470 kg per 667 sq m.

II. High-yield supporting cultivation techniques

1. Variety selection: Choose early rice varieties with strong tillering ability, such as Xiangliangyou 68, Zhongyouzao 9815, and Zhuliangyou 02.

2. Sowing period: Machine-sown early rice should be sown in early April around Qingming, seizing sunny days, so as to avoid seedling rot.

3. Seed germination: Before sowing, the seeds should be well germinated, requiring that sprouted grain waits for the field and the field waits for the weather. Treat seeds with "Hao'anwei" seed dressing agent to prevent damage from diseases, insects, rats, and birds.

4. Land preparation: Start plowing and preparing the land in late March (one plowing and two harrowings), level the field well, and open the surrounding ditches and middle ditches. When the weather turns clear, drain the standing water in the field; after it settles and compacts, wait 2 hours to 8 hours until the surface is slightly dry, then test the softness and hardness of the soil: if pressing the mud surface with a finger forms a hole and the hand does not stick to mud, the field is suitable for sowing. If the field is too wet, the seeds sink too deep into the mud and cannot emerge; if the field is too dry, mud-paste valley covering cannot be achieved, so seedlings are not easily established or are prone to damage by rats and birds.

5. Sowing: Use about 1.1 kg of seed per 667 sq m of main field, with a sowing depth of 1 cm. Open the sowing-rate switch by 1 notch, and the seed spacing becomes 0.8 cm; about 20 sprouted grains can be sown per 1 m, and hybrid rice seed can be slightly less.

6. Fertilization: Apply 50 kg of compound fertilizer or 30 kg of slow-release compound fertilizer per 667 sq m as base fertilizer. Before maturity, if lower leaves are found to turn yellow, supplement 3 kg of urea per 667 sq m of main field.

7. Other field management measures: 1) After sowing and greening, manage dry on sunny days, irrigate to protect buds when it rains, and drain after rain. 2) For early rice at the 2-leaf 1-heart stage, after applying herbicides such as Zhibojing, topdress 10 kg of urea per 667 sq m. 3) Field drying: Start drying the field when the number of seedlings in the whole field reaches 300,000 per 667 sq m, open good high-yield ditches, and after field drying, topdress with compound water fertilizer according to seedling condition. 4) Before maturity, apply foliar fertilizer once or twice to prevent premature senescence. 5) Disease and insect control is the same as for main fields under washed-field transplanting.