Multiple Leveling for Paddy Field Preparation with Double Axis Rotary Tillage Accelerates Rice Growth and Economic Benefits

Abstract

In the multiple cropping regions of southern China, straw returning has become a widely practiced agronomic measure for rice cultivation. However, excessive straw often leads to a high proportion of stubble in topsoil, which prolongs the leveling time of the paddy field and delays the transplanting date for rice seedlings. In particular, scholars in this region have successively improved multiple paddy field levelers to realize excellent straw returning and subsequent land preparation synchronously, but the economic benefit from land preparation to crop harvest was less reported. Therefore, this study carried out a 2-year rice cultivation experiments to compare the effects of paddy field preparation methods on rice growth and economic benefits within the same growing duration. Three treatments were designed: traditional tillage (TT), double axis rotary tillage (DR) and multiple operations for paddy field preparation (DR + ML), with three repeats. The results showed that DR + ML treatment simplified the operation process while improving the quality of land preparation. Within the same growing duration, DR + ML treatment could reduce the paddy field preparation time and extend the growing time in the field by 5–6 days. Furthermore, in comparison to TT treatment, DR + ML showed advantages in stimulating plant development, increasing dry matter accumulation (DMA), and thereby increasing rice yield by more than 12%. The economic benefits were mainly reflected in saving operation cost of paddy field preparation and improving the output (grain yield), which can generally increase the total profit by 58%. The implementation of this study can provide a reference for a simplified high yield cultivation technique in rice-related multiple cropping systems.

Effects of tillage method on the carbon footprint, energy budget, and net ecosystem economic efficiency of rice fields

“…A recent study has shown that biaxial deep rotary tillage and leveling can enhance the structure of the soil in paddy fields as well as economic benefits (Zhang et al, 2021). In this study, DBRT had lower CF, higher EUE and NEEB than DPURT and PURT.…”

“…The energy output was 7.6-9.2% and 17.7-19.7% higher under DBRT than under DPURT and PURT, respectively, and this was mainly driven by increases in rice grain yield. The higher grain yield under DBRT mainly stemmed from increases in tillage depth, which promoted the deep burial of straw, alleviated the toxic effect of straw decay on rice seedlings and competition for soil N (Shen et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2021), and thus promoted the growth of rice seedlings. The greater tillage depth in DBRT facilitates the growth of the roots of rice plants at greater soil depths, which enhances nutrient uptake (Garnett et al, 2009;Lynch, 2013).…”

“…Dryland biaxial deep rotary tillage has become increasingly used in rice production in recent years, and the increased use of this technique has been associated with increases in the horsepower of machinery and the application of biaxial rotary tillage implements (Cong et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2021). In dryland biaxial deep rotary tillage, biaxial rotary tillage, straw burying, soil suppression, and ditching are performed in a single operation after the previous crop is harvested; this approach thus permits crops to be planted after the flooding water has fully soaked the soil (Cheng et al, 2022).…”

Optimization of One-Time Fertilization Scheme Achieved the Balance of Yield, Quality and Economic Benefits of Direct-Seeded Rice

“…Direct-seeding rice is a popular agronomic practice in Asia, North America, and Europe, because it eliminates the labor-intensive steps of raising and transplanting rice seedlings [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The agricultural management of direct-seeded rice also tends to be more efficient in terms of mechanized tillage, sowing, and harvesting, allowing a larger land area to be cultivated with less labor [ 4 ]. However, direct-seeded rice is still primarily split-fertilized, particularly in China, where a base fertilizer and multiple topdressing are often required [ 5 ].…”

Effect of Straw Length, Stubble Height and Rotary Speed on Residue Incorporation by Rotary Tillage in Intensive Rice–Wheat Rotation System

“…Over recent decades, threatened food security due to rapid worldwide population growth has led to efforts in increasing agricultural food production [1,2]. However, highyielding agriculture leads to plenty of crop residues being left in the field after harvest, which is detrimental to seeding operation, seed germination, and early plant growth [3][4][5][6]. Agricultural producers thus have been seeking suitable tillage operations to alleviate the problems of excessive crop residues.…”