Natural conditions and cropping regionalization of rice area in China

The formation of rice distribution is based on certain natural ecological conditions and social economic environments. In China, rice cropping is distributed in a vast area extending across 5 tempera ture belts, the northernmost of rice growing area in the world being in China. Distribution of rice cropping is characterized by a gradual decrease from south to north, from large and concentrated regions in Southeast to small and separated areas in Northwest. Natural conditions in rice regions differ in China with a varied topography, high in the west and low in the east. Rice fields in the west are mostly distributed on flatlands on plains, valleys among mountains, tablelands in river valleys, yellow-soil plains and basins in low valleys, alluvial plains, plains in river valleys, while those in the east are mainly distributed on alluvial plains, hilly areas among low mountains, coastal plains, along rivers and lakes and in basins among mountains.

Inter-provincial Differences in Rice Multi-cropping Changes in Main Double-cropping Rice Area in China: Evidence from Provinces and Households

Since the early 1980 s, the multi-cropping index for rice has decreased significantly in main double-cropping rice area in China, which is the primary double-cropping rice(DCR) production area. This decline may bring challenges to food security in China because rice is the staple food for more than 60% of the Chinese population. It has been generally recognized that rapidly rising labor costs due to economic growth and urbanization in China is the key driving force of the ‘double-to-single' rice cropping system adaption. However, not all provinces have shown a dramatic decline in DCR area, and labor costs alone cannot explain this difference. To elucidate the reasons for these inter-provincial distinctions and the dynamics of rice cropping system adaption, we evaluated the influencing factors using provincial panel data from 1980 to 2015. We also used household survey data for empirical analysis to explore the mechanisms driving differences in rice multi-cropping changes. Our results indicated that the eight provinces in the study can be divided into three spatial groups based on the extent of DCR area decline, the rapidly-declining marginal, core, and stable zones. Increasing labor cost due to rapid urbanization was the key driving force of rice cropping system adaption, but the land use dynamic vary hugely among different provinces. These differences between zones were due to the interaction between labor price and accumulated temperature conditions. Therefore, increasing labor costs had the greatest impact in Zhejiang, Anhui, and Hubei, where the accumulated temperature is relatively low and rice multi-cropping index declined dramaticly. However, labor costs had little impact in Guangdong and Guangxi. Differences in accumulated temperature conditions resulted in spatially different labor demands and pressure on households during the busy season. As a result, there have been different profits and rice multi-cropping changes between provinces and zones. Because of these spatial differences, regionally appropriate policies that provide appropriate subsidies for early rice in rapidly-declining marginal zone such as Zhejiang and Hubei should be implemented. In addition, agricultural mechanization and the number of agricultural workers have facilitated double-cropping; therefore, small machinery and agricultural infrastructure construction should be further supported.

Spatio-Temporal Changes in the Rice Planting Area and Their Relationship to Climate Change in Northeast China: A Model-Based Analysis

Rice is one of the most important grain crops in Northeast China （NEC） and its cultivation is sensitive to climate change. This study aimed to explore the spatio-temporal changes in the NEC rice planting area over the period of 1980-2010 and to analyze their relationship to climate change. To do so, the CLUE-S （conversion of land use and its effects at small region extent） model was ifrst updated and used to simulate dynamic changes in the rice planting area in NEC to understand spatio-temporal change trends during three periods： 1980-1990, 1990-2000 and 2000-2010. The changing results in individual periods were then linked to climatic variables to investigate the climatic drivers of these changes. Results showed that the NEC rice planting area expanded quickly and increased by nearly 4.5 times during 1980-2010. The concentration of newly planted rice areas in NEC constantly moved northward and the changes were strongly dependent on latitude. This conifrmed that climate change, increases in temperature in particular, greatly inlfuenced the shift in the rice planting area. The shift in the north limit of the NEC rice planting area generally followed a 1＆#176;C isoline migration pattern, but with an obvious time-lag effect. These ifndings can help policy makers and crop producers take proper adaptation measures even when exposed to the global warming situation in NEC.

Variation Characteristics of Hydrothermal Resources Effectiveness Under the Background of Climate Change in Southern Rice Production Area of China

The spatiotemporal characteristics of hydrothermal resources in southern rice production area of China have changed under the background of climate change,and this change would affect the effectiveness of hydrothermal resources during local rice growing period.According to the cropping system subdivision in southern rice production area of China during 1980s,this study used climate data from 254 meteorological stations and phonological data from 168 agricultural observation stations in the south of China,and adopted 6 international evaluation indices about the effectiveness of hydrothermal resources to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of hydrothermal resources during the growing period of single cropping rice system and double cropping rice system for 16 planting zones in the whole study area.The results showed that：in southern rice production area of China,the effectiveness of thermal resources of single cropping rice area（SCRA） was less than that of double cropping rice area（DCRA）,whereas the effectiveness of thermal resources of both SARA and DCRA showed a decreasing trend.The index value of effective precipitation satisfaction of SCRA was higher than that of DCRA,nevertheless the index value of effective precipitation satisfaction of both SCRA and DCRA showed a decreasing trend.There was a significant linear relationship between effective thermal resource and water demand,likely water demand increased by 18 mm with every 100°C d increase of effective heat.Effective precipitation satisfaction index（EPSI） showed a negative correlation with effective heat,yet showed a positive correlation with effective precipitation.EPSI reduced by 1% when effective heat resource increased by 125°C d.This study could provide insights for policy makers,land managers or farmers to improve water and heat resource uses and rationally arrange rice production activities under global climate change condition.

New Vegetation Index and Its Application in Estimating Leaf Area Index of Rice

Leaf area index （LAI） is an important characteristic of land surface vegetation system, and is also a key parameter for the models of global water balancing and carbon circulation. By using the reflectance values of Landsat-5 blue, green and red channels simulated from rice reflectance spectrum, the sensitivities of the bands to LAI were analyzed, and the response and capability to estimate LAI of various NDVIs （normalized difference vegetation indices）, which were established by substituting the red band of general NDVI with all possible combinations of red, green and blue bands, were assessed. Finally, the conclusion was tested by rice data at different conditions. The sensitivities of red, green and blue bands to LAI were different under various conditions. When LAI was less than 3, red and blue bands were more sensitive to LAI. Though green band in the circumstances was less sensitive to LAI than red and blue bands, it was sensitive to LAI in a wider range. When the vegetation indices were constituted by all kinds of combinations of red, green and blue bands, the premise for making the sensitivity of these vegetation indices to LAI be meaningful was that the value of one of the combinations was greater than 0.024, i.e. visible reflectance （VIS）〉0.024. Otherwise, the vegetation indices would be saturated, resulting in lower estimation accuracy of LAI. Comparison on the capabilities of the vegetation indices derived from all kinds of combinations of red, green and blue bands to LAI estimation showed that GNDVI （Green NDVI） and GBNDVI （Green-Blue NDVI） had the best relations with LAI. The capabilities of GNDVI and GBNDVI to LAI estimation were tested under different circumstances, and the same result was acquired. It suggested that GNDVI and GBNDVI performed better to predict LAI than the conventional NDVI.

Varietal Difference in Leaf Nitrogen Content and Leaf Area and Their Effects to Ripening Rate During Mature Period of japonica Rice

Employing the pot experiment of the complete random block design with 6 replications,four varieties of japonica rice (Fujisaka 5,Honenwase,Akitakomachi and Taichung 65) were used to study the varietal differences in leaf nitrogen content(LNC) and leaf area during mature period,their relation and effects to the ripening rate.The results showed that(1) thee were varietal differences in LNC at the heading stage and the LNC decrease rate during the matue period,the high LNC at the heading stage was related to the rapid LNC decrease.(2) There were two phases of the leaf area changing process during the mature period,first was the stable,and second was the decreased phase.There was varietal difference in the critical time of phase 1 and phase 2.The hign leaf area in the phase 1 was in relation to the rapid leaf area decrease in the phase 2.It was not found that there was relation between the leaf quality and quantity.(3)It wa unfavorable to the ripening rate for the high leaf area at the heading stage and the rapid decrease of the leaf area during the mature period.(4)It was put forward that the super high yield rice variety should possess the not very high leaf area and high LNC at the heading stage,slow senescence in the leaf area during the mature period.

Effects of Site-Specific Nitrogen Management on Yield and Dry Matter Accumulation of Rice from Cold Areas of Northeastern China

The effects of yield increase and mechanism of site-specific nitrogen management （SSNM） in five rice varieties from cold areas of northeastern China were studied. Plot experiment for critical SPAD value and experiments of two fertilization methods, SSNM and farmer＇s fertilization practice （FFP） were conducted to study their effects on the quality and dry matter accumulation of rice population, as well as N uptake. Compared with FFP, SSNM significantly decreased the average N rate by 33.8%, significantly increased average ear-bearing tiller rate and LAI for grain-filling stage by 12.3% and 14.1-27.6%, correspondingly, improved dry matter weight and N uptake after heading period by 4.3-29.1% and 11.8-55.1% （P 〈 0.05）, and heightened recovery efficiency and agronomic efficiency by 38.5-133.4% （P 〈 0.05） and 39.8-194.3% （P 〈 0.05）, respectively, as well as increased the average yield by 9.8% in 2004 and 2005. The results indicated that the accumulation rate of dry matter and N increased the rice yield and N use efficiency, because of improving rice population quality and increasing LAI after heading period.

Use of Linear Spectral Mixture Model to Estimate Rice Planted Area Based on MODIS Data

MODIS （Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer） is a key instrument aboard the Terra （EOS AM） and Aqua （EOS PM） satellites. Linear spectral mixture models are applied to MOIDS data for the sub-pixel classification of land covers. Shaoxing county of Zhejiang Province in China was chosen to be the study site and early rice was selected as the study crop. The derived proportions of land covers from MODIS pixel using linear spectral mixture models were compared with unsupervised classification derived from TM data acquired on the same day, which implies that MODIS data could be used as satellite data source for rice cultivation area estimation, possibly rice growth monitoring and yield forecasting on the regional scale.

Low soil temperature reducing the yield of drip irrigated rice in arid area by influencing anther development and pollination

Drip irrigation can produce high rice yields with significant water savings;therefore,it is widely used in arid area water-scarce northern China.However,high-frequency irrigation of drip irrigation with low temperature well water leads to low root zone temperature and significantly reduce the rice yield compared to normal temperature water irrigated rice,for example,reservoir water.The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of low soil temperature on the yield reduction of drip irrigated rice in the spike differentiation stage.The experiment set the soil temperatures at 18℃,24℃and 30℃under two irrigation methods(flood and drip irrigation),respectively.The results showed that,at the 30℃soil temperature,drip irrigation increased total root length by 53%but reduced root water conductivity by 9%compared with flood irrigation.Drip irrigation also increased leaf abscisic acid and proline concentrations by 13%and 5%,respectively.These results indicated that drip irrigated rice was under mild water stress.In the 18℃soil temperature,drip irrigation reduced hydraulic conductivity by 58%,leaf water potential by 40%and leaf net photosynthesis by 25%compared with flood irrigation.The starch concentration in male gametes was also 30%less in the drip irrigation treatment than in the flood irrigation treatment at soil temperature 18℃.Therefore,the main reason for the yield reduction of drip irrigated rice was that the low temperature aggravates the physiological drought of rice and leads to the decrease of starch content in male gametes and low pollination fertilization rate.Low temperature aggravates physiological water deficit in drip irrigated rice and leads to lower starch content in male gametes and low pollination fertilization rate,which is the main reason for the reduced yield of drip irrigated rice.Overall,the results indicated that the low soil temperatures aggravated the water stress that rice was under in the drip irrigated environment,causing declines both in the starch content of male gametes and in pollination rate.Low temperature will ultimately affect the rice yield under drip irrigation.

Chemical Forms of Selenium in Corn and Rice Grown in a High Selenium Area of China

The chemical forms of selenium were determined in maize grown near Yutangba Village and in rice grown near Haubei village, Exi Prefecture, Enshi county of Hubei Province, China. The maize sample contained 18 ppm and the rice samples an average of 3.6 ppm selenium. After they were ground to obtain a fine flour, this was acid hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid in an inert atmosphere and the hydrolyzates chromatographed on columns of Dionex DC6A resin. The results indicate that the majority of the selenium is present as selenomethionine in both rice and corn.

Leaf area index based nitrogen diagnosis in irrigated lowland rice

Leaf area index （LAI） is used for crop growth monitoring in agronomic research, and is promising to diagnose the nitrogen （N） status of crops. This study was conducted to develop appropriate LAI-based N diagnostic models in irrigated lowland rice. Four field experiments were carried out in Jiangsu Province of East China from 2009 to 2014. Different N application rates and plant densities were used to generate contrasting conditions of N availability or population densities in rice. LAI was determined by LI-3000, and estimated indirectly by LAI-2000 during vegetative growth period. Group and individual plant characters （e.g., tiller number （TN） and plant height （H）） were investigated simultaneously. Two N indicators of plant N accumulation （NA） and N nutrition index （NNI） were measured as well. A calibration equation （LAI=1.7787LAI2o00-0.8816, R2=0.870＂） was developed for LAI-2000. The linear regression analysis showed a significant relationship between NA and actual LAI （R2=0.863^＊＊）. For the NNI, the relative LAI （R2=0.808-） was a relatively unbiased variable in the regression than the LAI （R^2=0.33^＊＊）. The results were used to formulate two LAI-based N diagnostic models for irrigated lowland rice （NA=29.778LAI-5.9397; NNI=0.7705RLAI＋0.2764）. Finally, a simple LAI deterministic model was developed to estimate the actual LAI using the characters of TN and H （LAI=-0.3375（THxHx0.01）2＋3.665（TH×H×0.01）-1.8249, R2=0.875＊＊）. With these models, the N status of rice can be diagnosed conveniently in the field.

Plant Type and Its Effects on Canopy Structure at Heading Stage in Various Ecological Areas for a Two-line Hybrid Rice Combination,Liangyoupeijiu

A two-line hybrid rice combination, Liangyoupeijiu, was used to estimate several factors of plant type, and environmental models for these factors at the heading stage were established using the data of eight ecological experimental sites in 2006 and 2007. According to climatic data from 1951 to 2005, the differences in those factors and their effects on plant canopy were analyzed for four rice cropping areas in China, including South China, the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Sichuan Basin, and river valley in Yunnan, China. The thickness of leaf layer （the distance from pulvinus of the third leaf from the top to the tip of flag leaf） and distribution of leaf area could be used as candidate indices for the plant type of a rice canopy.

Evaluation on Genetic Quality and Traits of Rice Landraces in the Taihu Lake Area

In this paper,with 511 rice landraces in the Taihu Lake area as test materials,we select 19 starch synthesis-related intragenic molecular markers to detect the genetic quality of starch,and compare them with 86 bred varieties. The results show that the average polymorphic information content( PIC) of japonica landraces is 0. 1726,slightly higher than the average PIC( 0. 1101) of the bred japonica rice varieties.Based on Nei's genetic distance between materials,UPGMA method is used for clustering,and all study materials are divided into 6 groups.Group I mainly includes indica rice,the bred japonica rice varieties are mainly concentrated in the first half of Group II and Group III,and the japonica landraces are mainly concentrated in the second half of Group III,and Group Ⅳ,Ⅴ,Ⅵ. Both of them are in different regions,and there has been genetic differentiation. According to the national standard of high quality rice,it is found that many rice landraces in the Taihu Lake area have good quality and traits,and these varieties can be used for future high quality breeding.

Distribution Characteristics of High Temperature Damage and Its Influence on the Rice Yield in the Area along Huaihe River

[Objective] The research aimed to study the distribution characteristics of high temperature damage and its influence on the rice yield in the area along Huaihe River.[Method] The meteorological data of 10 stations in the area along Huaihe River during 1965-2009 and the yield data of Anhui single-season middle rice during 1967-2006 were selected.The occurrence characteristic of summer high temperature weather and the intensity of high temperature damage in the area along Huaihe River were analyzed.Based on the previous high temperature damage index of rice,Changfeng County where was the typical rice planting zone in the area along Huaihe River was as the representation,and the yield damage loss rate risk of high temperature damage in Changfeng was analyzed by combining with the historical yield data.[Result] The high temperature weather in the area along Huaihe River frequently happened.The high temperature damage presented 'N' shape trend from west to east.The occurrence frequency of high temperature weather in Huainan and Bengbu where were in the middle area along Huaihe River was more and was less in Huoqiu and Shouxian where were near the south mountain area of Anhui.The occurrence time mainly focused from the middle and last dekads of July to the first dekad of August after the plum rain.At this time,it was the booting,heading and flowering periods of single-season middle rice,and the influence on the rice yield was obvious.The damage loss rate of single-season middle rice yield in Changfeng County along Huaihe River continued to increase as the increasing of high temperature damage duration.But the occurrence probability decreased.The intensity grade of high temperature damage disaster loss rate which happened frequently concentrated mainly in levels I and II.The longer the high temperature damage duration in the reproductive growth stage of rice was,the bigger the damage loss rate was.But the corresponding occurrence probability was small,and vice versa.[Conclusion] The research provided the reference for assessing the high temperature disaster risk.

Characterization of mineral element fingerprints under soilcrop systems in eastern and western rice-producing areas of Jilin Province,China

To assess the indicative function of the fingerprint characteristics of mineral elements for small agricultural producing areas,20 sets of soil surface samples and corresponding rice samples were collected from Songyuan and Hunchun of Jilin Province,China.Forty-six mineral elements of brown rice,soil,and rice husk were examined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.Ten characteristic elements(Li,Ag,Y,Bi,U,Eu,Er,Rb,Mo and As)were identified via multivariate statistics(Variance importance value analysis and rank sum test in SPSS and SIMCA software packages).The correlation of mineral elements in brown rice,soil,and rice husks of the two sample areas was analyzed and regression analysis models of characteristic mineral elements in brown rice were developed.The results indicate that a correlation exists among brown rice,soil,and rice husks in the same area,and the correlation tests using selected elements showed that all correlation coefficients were 0.65 or above.Differences in brown rice were found between different regions.Consequently,brown rice producing areas can be distinguished by the fingerprint characteristics of mineral elements.

Effects of Inorganic-organic Incorporation on Productivity and Soil Fertility of Rice Cropping System in Red Soil Area of China

Results from ten-year (1990 - 1999) field experiments indicated that the productivity and the soil fertility of rice cropping system were significantly influenced by the fertilization system adopted in red soil area of China. Contrasting with no-fertili/er treatment (CK), yield-increase rate of organic matter cycling, chemical NPK and inorganic-organic fertilizer incorporation treatments were 56.5% , 62.5% and 80.7% , respectively. In the case of optimum fertilization system, the largest contribution of inorganic fertilizer to the yield was 38.5% while that of inorganic-organic fertilizer incorporation was 44.7%. The content of soil organic matter changed in tendency from decrease to equilibrium with heightened the extent of N, P and K incorporation while that of inorganic-organic fertilizer incorporation could be enhanced further. After N, P and K entered into the rice cropping system and maintained organic matter cycling in the system, the pools of total N, P and K could be strengthened.

Effects of Rice Yield and Quality Across Accumulated Temperature Zone Planting in Cold Area

Five rice varieties were planted to determine the variation of the yield and quality traits in five different regions in a cold area of China. The results showed that the number of the panicles, the number of grains per panicle and percentage of head-milled rice displayed quadratic curves against the accumulated temperature, and the sterile rate decreased with greater accumulated temperature. However, 1 000-grain weight had no correlation with the accumulated temperature and protein content, amylose content and taste also had no obvious relation with the accumulated temperature. The results from the accumulated temperature differed with rice variety, so the temperature insensitive type variety should be proposed for production.

Performance and Analysis of a Model for Describing Layered Leaf Area Index of Rice

Layered leaf area index （LAIk） is one of the major determinants for rice canopy. The objective of this study is to attain rice LAI k using morphological traits especially leaf traits that affected plant type. A theoretical model based on rice geometrical structure was established to describe LAI k of rice with leaf length （Li）, width （Wi）, angle （Ai）, and space （Si）, and plant pole height （H） at booting and heading stages. In correlation with traditional manual measurement, the model was performed by high R2-values （0.95-0.89, n=24） for four rice hybrids （Liangyoupeijiu, Liangyou E32, Liangyou Y06, and Shanyou 63） with various plant types and four densities （3 750, 2 812, 1 875, and 1 125 plants per 100 m2） of a particular hybrid （Liangyoupeijiu）. The analysis of leaf length, width, angle, and space on LAI k for two hybrids （Liangyoupeijiu and Shanyou 63） showed that leaves length and space exhibited greater effects on the change of rice LAI k . The radiation intensity showed a significantly negative exponential relation to the accumulation of LAI k , which agreed to the coefficient of light extinction （K）. Our results suggest that plant type regulates radiation distribution through changing LAI k . The present model would be helpful to acquire leaf distribution and judge canopy structure of rice field by computer system after a simple and less-invasive measurement of leaf length, width, angle （by photo）, and space at field with non-dilapidation of plants.

Effects of leaf N concentration and leaf area index on determining rice tillering

Relative tillering rate(RTR)increased linear-ly with the increasing of leaf N concentration(NLV)has been already reported.To testwhether this relationship could be used toquantitatively explain the difference in tilleringamong a wide range of N application,field ex- periments were conducted at the IRRI farm,Los Banos,Laguna,the Philippines.Two in- dica cultivars,IR 72 and IR68284H wereused.For each cultivar,12 treatments includ- ing 4 N levels(0,60,120,and 180kgN·ha)and 3 transplanting spacing(30×20,20×20,and 10×20cm)were arranged in a ran-domized split-plot design with 4 replications.The N treatments were designated as mainplots and spacings as subplots.Fourteen-day-old seedlings were transplanted with 3seedlings per hill.The subplot area was 20m~2.Nitrogen fertilizer was applied as basal,atmidtillering,and at panicle initiation in threeequal splits.P,K,and Zn were applied asbasal at normal dosage.The field was flooded.Plant samples were taken every 7-14 d from 14d after transplanting to flower

A Study on Japanese Traditional Rice Production Technique in Warm Areas and Its Modern Ecological Value

Japanese traditional rice production technique features " sparse seeding,long cultivation,scattered planting and limited transplanting",and scientific rice production methods of deep plowing,fertilization,weeding,irrigation and drainage are employed.This technique has reversed the common practice of " dense seeding and planting" in rice paddies and changed the history of growing rice spikes purely out of stems,thus enabling stable and high yields of several tillering grain crops including rice.The technique can provide a useful reference for developing modern rice production in warm areas.