Comparison and analysis of different rice planting methods in China

There are several rice planting methods in China, which includes traditional manual transplanting(TMT), rice mechanized transplanting(MT), rice mechanized direct seeding(MDS) and rice mechanized potted-seedling transplanting(MPST). In order to evaluate these different rice planting methods, comparison tests between three mechanized planting methods and TMT were carried out in three main rice plant regions named as one-season rice production region in South China(OSSC), two-season rice production region in South China(TSSC) and rice production region in North China(NC), data related to rice yields, production costs, labor hours were collected and analyzed. The results showed that MT was recommended in both OSSC and TSSC, and MPST was recommended in NC. By MT, rough rice yields and net profit increased by 7.53% and 46.78%, and labor hours reduced by 41.44% in average. By MDS, rough rice yields decreased by 6.34%, while net profit varied with different rice varieties, and labor hours reduced by 31.30% in average. By MPST, rough rice yields and net profit increased by 8.95% and 22.57% respectively, and labor hours reduced by 64.29%. These results can providing a good guideline to select rice planting methods for different rice planting regions in China.