Qing'an's 700,000 mu of rice adopts cold-region dry seedling cultivation and controlled irrigation technology for water saving and high yield

The controlled irrigation, water-saving and high-yield technology for cold-region dry seedling rice has been successfully tested in Qing'an. This year, 700,000 mu of rice in this county are using this technology. According to expert calculations, it saves about 450 cubic meters of water per mu, saves 11.2 yuan in pumping costs, and increases yield by an average of 22 kg per mu.

In recent years, through the trinity approach of "engineering water saving, mechanism water saving, and technical water saving," Qing'an has reduced irrigation water per mu from nearly 1,000 cubic meters to 500 cubic meters. Over 10 years, it has expanded the paddy field area from 640,000 mu to 1.17 million mu, accounting for half of the cultivated land area. Last year, rice alone increased each farmer's income by nearly 1,000 yuan.

The controlled irrigation, water-saving and high-yield technology for cold-region dry seedling rice is a new nationally certified and promoted technology researched by Nanjing Hohai University. It has been successfully promoted in multiple provinces and regions including Ningxia and Hainan, and Qing'an was the first in the three northeastern provinces to promote this technology. In 2002, after learning of this technology, Qing'an County introduced it in response to the county's large paddy field area and severe water shortage, carrying out trial demonstrations among selected typical farming households. Under the guidance of Professor Peng Shizhang of Hohai University, the technology was improved according to local characteristics to make it more suitable for northern conditions. The county summarized the key points of this technology as: "Wet soil at the greening stage, mud exposed but no standing water; build a water layer at early tillering, standing water but no exposed mud; strengthen control after tillering, field dry with soil cracks; make smart use of rainfall, save water and maintain control; prevent premature senescence at yellow ripening, irrigate once more." In actual operation, the focus is on six stages: the greening stage, tillering stage, jointing-booting stage, heading-flowering stage, grain-filling stage and yellow ripening stage. In Fengyu Village of Fengshou Township, two vehicles were hauling rice seed in front of Zhou Wuyi's home at a price of 3 yuan per kg. Zhou Wuyi said that this year he planted 10 hectares of rice, all using seedling throwing and the controlled irrigation, water-saving and high-yield technology. Previously, the problem of seedlings falling over after throwing was difficult to solve. Since applying the controlled irrigation, water-saving and high-yield technology in 2003, the problem of rice seedlings falling over has been solved. He calculated an account for us: one hectare of rice saves 200 yuan in pumping costs, seedling throwing saves 640 yuan in labor costs compared with transplanting, and saves 140 yuan in pesticide costs. The two technologies of seedling throwing plus controlled irrigation increase yield by 2,500 kg per hectare and increase income by 4,000 yuan. In total, one hectare saves costs and increases income by 4,980 yuan. To ensure that farmers accurately apply this technology, the county hired technical experts from inside and outside the province, organized technical personnel to compile guidance materials, and held controlled irrigation technology training classes, delivering the technology into farmers' hands.

"Rice does not necessarily have to soak in water. Without a visible water layer, rice can still grow well." Qing'an farmers who learned the water-saving controlled irrigation technology for rice finally changed the traditional idea that rice must be irrigated with deep water, in the face of the facts.