Long-Term No-Tillage Direct Seeding Mode for Water-Saving and Drought-Resistance Rice Production in Rice-Rapeseed Rotation System

To study the effects of long-term no-tillage direct seeding mode on rice yield and the soil physiochemical property in a rice-rapeseed rotation system, a comparative experiment with a water-saving and drought-resistance rice （WDR） variety and a double low rapeseed variety as materials was conducted under no-tillage direct seeding （NTDS） mode and conventional tillage direct seeding （CTDS） mode for four years, using the CTDS mode as the control. Compared with the CTDS mode, the actual rice yield of WDR decreased by 8.10% at the first year, whereas the plant height, spikelet number per panicle, spikelet fertility, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, actual yield, and harvest index increased with no-tillage years, which led to the actual yield increase by 6.49% at the fourth year. Correlation analysis showed that the panicle length was significantly related to the actual yield of WDR. Compared with the CTDS mode in terms of the soil properties, the pH value of the NTDS mode decreased every year, whereas the contents of soil organic matter and total N of the NTDS mode increased. In the 0-5 cm layer of the NTDS mode, the soil bulk decreased, whereas the contents of soil organic matter, total N, and available N increased. In the 5-20 cm layer of the NTDS mode, the available N and K decreased, whereas the soil bulk, contents of soil organic matter, and total N increased. In summary, the NTDS mode increased the rice yield, and could improve the paddy soil fertility of the top layer.

Effects of Organic Fertilizer Application Amount on Seedling Quality under No-tillage Semi-Solid State Direct Seeding

With early rice variety Zhongzao 39 as test material,this paper investigated the effects of organic fertilizer application rate on seedling quality under no-tillage semi-solid state direct seeding.The results showed that the seedling quality of no-tillage semi-solid direct seeding was better than that of traditional direct seeding,and different application rates of organic fertilizer under no-tillage semi-solid direct seeding also had signi ficant effects on seedling emergence rate,dry matter weight in ground and underground,stem base width,root activity,chlorophyll content and seedling growth index of rice seedlings.When the organic fertilizer dosage was A4(0.10∶1),it was most beneficial to the growth and development of rice seedlings under no-tillage semi-solid state direct seeding,it could effectively improve the quality of rice seedlings and enhance their resistances,the cultivated seedlings could lay a good foundation for high yield of rice in late stage.

Differential seed removal,germination and seedling growth as determinants of species suitability for forest restoration by direct seeding–A case study from northern Thailand

Background Direct seeding is potentially a more cost-effective alternative to conventional tree planting for restoring tropical forest ecosystems.However,seed loss,due to removal and damage by animals,can substantially reduce seedling establishment.Therefore,this study examined the impact of seed predation on seedling establishment of five tree species,native to upland evergreen forests of northern Thailand:Hovenia dulcis,Alangium kurzii,Prunus cerasoides,Choerospondias axillaris and Horsfieldia amygdalina.We tested the hypothesis that excluding animals would significantly reduce seed removal,and increase both germination and seedling survival.The objective was to calculate a composite index of the relative suitability of the species studied for direct seeding.Methods Seeds were placed on the ground in a deforested site and subjected to five predator-exclusion treatments:wire cage,insecticide,cage+insecticide,open cage and no exclusion(control).Results Seed loss was highest for H.amygdalina(the largest seed tested).Across species,wire cages significantly reduced seed loss by 12.4%compared with controls(P<0.001)suggesting that vertebrates were the major seed predators.Seed germination ranged from 0 to 77%among the species tested.Based on relative species-performance scores(combining measures of survival and seedling growth),P.cerasoides was the most suitable species for direct seeding,followed by A.kurzii and C.axillaris,whilst H.dulcis and H.amygdalina were unsuitable.H.dulcis had small seeds with low seed germination,whereas H.amygdalina was subjected to high seed removal.Conclusion Exclusion of seed predators and the selection of suitable species may substantially increase the success of direct seeding,as a technique for restoring upland evergreen forest ecosystems.Testing more species for their suitability is needed,to provide more diverse options for forest restoration.

Performance of Five Early Indica Rice Varieties under Direct Seeding in Jiangbei District

Comparative experiments were conducted on five conventional indica rice varieties,including Yongxian 15,Zhongzao 39,Shunda 135,Zhongzu 143,and Zhongzu 18.Under direct seeding conditions,their growth period and yield performance were investigated.The results showed that the yield of Zhonggang 143 and Shunda 135 was higher than that of Yongxian 15(CK),and Zhonggang 143 had the highest yield of 7.494 t/hm 2,followed by Shunda 135(7.467 t/hm 2);Yongxian 18(CK)has a yield of 7.326 t/hm 2.Taking into account factors such as field growth,yield,and growth period,Zhongzu 143 and Shunda 135 can be further promoted to optimize the early rice variety structure in Jiangbei District.

Simultaneous Application of Controlled Availability Fertilizers to Seeding Furrows with Seeding Increases Grain Yield and Quality of No-Till Cultivated Common Wheat in Japan

In Japan, common wheat is cultivated in upland fields converted from paddy fields, where poor drainage and high precipitation cause delay of sowing, lodging at the jointing stage, difficulty in topdressing at the ripening stage, and low yield. No-till cultivation has been promoted to overcome these problems but the yield is still low due to the lack of proper fertilizer application protocols. In this study, we determined whether an additional application of two kinds of Sigmoid coated urea as controlled availability fertilizers (CAFs) to the standard fertilization protocol for tillage cultivation can increase the yield and lodging resistance in no-till cultivated common wheat. Also, additional fertilization was applied to the seeding furrow simultaneously with seeding using a V-furrow no-till direct sowing (VFDS) machine. No-till cultivated plants had more tillers than tillage cultivated ones and consequently higher number of panicles and yield, caused by increased fertilizer application. The point-injected CAFs to the seeding furrow, which eluted at the jointing and ripening stages greatly increased the grain yield and protein content, respectively, compared to broadcast topdressing of ammonium sulfate at each stage. The simultaneous sowing and fertilization of additional CAFs using VFDS method in multi-year tests in farmers’ fields significantly increased the yield of no-till cultivated common wheat, and can be adopted by Japanese local farmers.

Design and Kinematic Analysis of a Driving Roller-type No-till Seeding and Hole-forming System

Conventional no-till seeders should cut or remove crop straw and residue,when in operation and thus present a number of problems,including high performance requirements for the cutting component,high power consumption,dust raising and interference from intertwined straw.In view of this,in this study,a driving roller dibbling-type no-till seeding and hole-forming(DGR-NT-SHF)system was designed to be capable of penetrating soil and creating holes without requiring any special preparation of the surface covering.The core mechanism of this system consisted of a land wheel-driven driving roller and a duckbill-type roller seeder,which were internally tangent to one another.The rotating roller rolled the straw into a thin layer,and the duckbills extended from the roller and penetrated this thin layer of straw and subsequently formed the holes and planted the seeds.Based on kinematic analysis,a mathematical model was established to depict the relations between the rear angle of the duckbill(α),the front angle of the duckbill(β),the angular velocity of the duckbill-type roller seeder(ω0),the angular velocity of the roller(ω1),and the aperture of the duckbill outlet on the roller(θ).In contrast to a driven roller-type no-till seeding and hole-forming DNR-NT-SHF system,several parameters of the DGR-NT-SHF system were established for planting seeds at a plant spacing that was an integral multiple of 100 mm:the radius of the duckbill-type roller seeder,200 mm;radius of the roller,400 mm;α,23°;andβ,5°.Based on the analysis of the models using the MATLAB Image Processing Module with a relation betweenω1 and the number of outlets on the roller as the constraint,the optimal number of outlets on the roller and theω1/ω0 ratio were determined to be 21 and 4/7,respectively.Kinematic simulation on a digital prototype was performed using computer aided three-dimensional interactive application(CATIA)to observe the motion of the DGR-NT-SHF system,when the duckbills on the duckbill-type roller seeder were open and to determine the locations of the duckbills relative to the outlets.To ensure the duckbills could be successfully opened,the chord length of the outlets was ultimately determined to be 71 mm.The prototype test results showed that the DGR-NT-SHF system met the design requirements and that the operation was straightforward and reliable.In addition,compared to the DNR-NT-SHF system,the DGR-NT-SHF system performed better in penetration and exerted no impact on the duckbills,thus providing an effective technical option for no-till seeding.

Effect of Fulvic Acid on Growth and Yield Components of Direct Seeding Rice

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effect of fulvic acid on the growth and yield components of direct seeding rice （Nanjing 44）. MethodThe rice seeds were soaked in 0 （water as a control）, 1, 2, 4 and 6 g/L fulvic acid （FA） before sowed. Then, the rice morphological indices, leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthesis parameters, root activity and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in the following field studies. ResultCompared with the control, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and dry matter weight and some fluorescence parameters such as the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II （PSII） （Fv/Fm）, excitation energy capture efficiency of opened PSII reaction center （Fv’/Fm’） and efficiency of the open reaction centre （ΦPS II） increased by different levels at both jointing stage and heading stage of direct seeding rice, whose seeds were soaked by FA with different concentrations. High FA concentration （4-6 g/L） significantly increased the cultivated rice leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and dry matter weight by 10.32% -22.88% , 5.88% -13.11% , 12.16% -26.84% , 11.43% -88.46% , 10.63% -21.63% , 18.49% -19.68% , respectively, thereby improving the physiological function and light energy transform efficiency of rice at the growth stage. With FA concentration increasing, the yield, effective panicles, grain number per panicle and seed setting rate were increased significantly compared with the control by 17.52%-18.71%, 3.46%-3.85%, 6.30%- 6.51% and 7.82%-8.69% respectively. ConclusionSoaking rice seed with FA could be considered as an effective way to improve the rice competitiveness at early growth stage.

Application of Special Controlled Release Fertilizer in Direct-seeding of Rapeseeds

In the east of Hunan Province, the research introduced new-type special controI ed-reIease fertiIizer for rapeseed, ＂Yishizhuang＂, and expIored its appIications in direct-seeding of rapeseed production. The resuIts showed that the appIication of special controI ed reIease fertiIizer for rapeseeds avoids earIy decIine of rapeseed resuIting from fertiIizer Ioss by one-off appIication, improves the number of green Ieaf before winter, and extends photosynthetic Iifespan of pods, which significantIy increases yields. What＆#39; more, with higher output-input ratio, the fertiIizer takes ad-vantages in saving cost, Iabor and increasing yield.

Genotypic Differences in Growth and Physiological Responses to Transplanting and Direct Seeding Cultivation in Rice

The field experiments were conducted to investigate the growth and physiological responses of six super hybrid rice combinations to two planting methods, transplanting （TP） and direct seeding （DS） during 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. The 1000-grain weight and number of tillers per plant at the early growth stage, the maximum quantum yield of PSII （Fv/Fm） and transpiration rate （Tr） were higher in DS plants than in TP ones, whereas the grain yield, number of panicles per square meter, seed setting rate, net photosynthetic rate （Po） and stomatal conductance were lower in DS plants. However, little difference was detected in number of grains per panicle, stem （shoot） and leaf weight between the combinations in the two planting methods. The responses of plant growth and physiological traits to planting method differed greatly among the six combinations. In both planting methods, Chouyou 58 and Yongyou 6 had the highest and lowest panicle biomass and Pn, respectively. The higher yield of Chunyou 58 was associated with more numbers of panicles per square meter and grains per panicle in both planting methods. The results indicate that lower grain yield in DS relative to TP is attributed to more excessive tillers at the early stage, lower leaf biomass and photosynthetic rate at the late stage.

Use of Controlled Release Fertilizer for Increasing N Efficiency of Direct Seeding Rice

Field trials on a silt-loamy paddy soil derived from shallow-sea deposit in direct seeding rice fields were conducted in Zhejiang, China, in 1996 to compare N efficiency of controlled release fertilizers (LP fertilizers) with the conventional urea. Six treatments including CK (no N fertilizer), conventional urea and different types of LP fertilizers at different rates were designed for two succeeding crops of early and late rice. A blend of different types of LP fertilizers as a single preplant "co-situs" application released N in a rate and amount synchronizing with uptake pattern of direct seeding rice. A single preplant application of the LP fertilizers could meet the N requirement of rice for the whole growth period without need of topdressing. Using LP fertilizer blends, equivalent grain yields could be maintained even if the N fertilization rates were reduced by 25%～50% compared with the conventional urea. Agronomic efficiency of the LP fertilizers was 13.6%～ 86.4% higher than that of the conventional urea in early rice and 100%～164.1% in late rice, depending on the amounts of the LP fertilizers applied. N fertilizer recovery rate increased from 27.4% for the conventional application of urea to 41.7%～54.l% for the single preplant "co-situs" application of the LP fertilizers. Use of the LP fertilizers was promising if the increase in production costs due to the high LP fertilizer prices could be compensated by increase in yield and N efficiency, reduction in labor costs and improvement in environment.

Performance of Different Cultivars in Direct Seeded Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>L.) with Various Seeding Densities

Optimum seeding density is necessary to achieve the production potential of a cultivar in all crops. To investigate the performance of different cultivars in direct seeded rice in response to various seeding densities, a field experiment was conducted at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during the kharif 2012. Super basmati (fine rice) and KSK-133 (coarse rice) were sown using seeding densities of 30, 45, 60 and 75 kg&middotha-1. Results indicated that leaf area index and crop growth rate varied among rice cultivars as well as various seeding densities. The growth of rice at seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 was higher than rest of treatments. The response of rice yield and its components like number of productive tillers, number of kernels per panicle and 1000-kernal weight differed significantly under the influence of cultivars and various seeding densities. Seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 remained superior for both rice cultivars regarding final yield. This treatment furnished kernel yields of 3.83 and 5.49 t&middotha-1 in fine and coarse rice, respectively which were significantly higher than other treatments. However, Kernel quality was improved in terms of lower number of sterile and chalky kernels at lower seeding densities (30 kg&middotha-1). Based on these findings, it is concluded that using seeding density of 75 kg&middotha-1 for direct seeded fine and coarse rice cultivars is beneficial in terms of better growth and higher yield but kernel quality is reduced by increasing the seeding density.

Effects of different mechanical direct seeding methods on grain yield and lodging resistance of early indica rice in South China

Direct seeding of rice has become a main planting method due to the low labor input and high economic benefit in South China.Dry direct seeding(DDS)has been widely used for single-season rice planting establishment.However,few studies have examined the performance of early-season indica rice under mechanical dry direct seeding.A two-year field experiment was conducted with two indica rice cultivars(i.e.,Zhongjiazao 17 and Zhuliangyou 819)to study lodging characteristics and grain yield formation under DDS,flooded direct seeding(FDS)and wet direct seeding(WDS)patterns.The results showed that the annual grain yield in DDS was higher by 14.42–26.34%for cultivar ZLY819 and 6.64–24.58%for cultivar ZJZ17 than in WDS and FDS,respectively,and these increases were mainly attributed to the improvement of the panicles.The DDS pattern significantly increased the seedling emergence rate of early indica rice cultivars,and increased total dry weight and crop growth rate.Meanwhile,shorter basal internodes,better stem diameter and stem wall thickness and lower lodging index were found in DDS in contrast to FDS and WDS.In particular,DDS improved the stem lodging resistance.Our results suggested that the appropriate direct seeding method was beneficial for improving the grain yield and lodging resistance of early indica rice.

Occurrence,Damage and Control Index of Rape Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Mechanical Direct Seeding Fields

Real-time monitoring and investigation in fields showed that the disease starting period of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in mechanical direct seeding fields was earlier. Disease conditions rose with the advancing growth stage, which grew more quickly during the early stage of anthesis, flower withering period and early si- lique mature period. Yield less rate increased with the increasing stem disease rate and disease index. Yield loss rate（ Y1 ） had extremely significant correlation with stem disease rate（X1 ）and disease index（X2 ）, and the related models were Y1 = 0. 544 330 2X1 -2. 316 1 （n = 14, r --0. 986 0 ＊ ＊ ）and YI = 0. 673 408 X2 - 1. 016 4 （ n = 14 ,r = 0.977 2 ~ ＊ ）, respectively. Disease control indexes for one time control against S. sclerotlorum in mechanical direct seeding fields were stem disease rate as 11.8% and disease index as 7.6, respectively. The control indexes for twice control against the disease were stem disease rate as 16.8% and disease index as 11.7. This paper provided a new scientific basis for preventing S. sclerotiorum in mechanical direct seeding fields.

Effectiveness of Direct Seeding for Forest Restoration on Severely Degraded Land in Lampang Province, Thailand

This study tested the effectiveness of direct seeding to establish framework tree species, for restoring forest ecosystems at an opencast lignite mine in Lampang Province, Thailand. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment tested five tree species (Afzelia xylocarpa (Kurz) Craib, Eugenia cumini (L.) Druce, Ficus racemosa Roxb., Gmelina arborea Roxb. and Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken) with 5 substrate amelioration treatments and 3 replicates. Germination percent was the highest for Afzelia xylocarpa (88.1%) and lowest for Ficus racemosa (5.9%). The substrate amelioration treatments had no significant effects on both seed germination and seedling establishment for all species tested. Schleichera oleosa had the highest seedling establishment percent (45%) followed by Afzelia xylocarpa (40%). A suitability scoring system indicated that these two species were the most suitable for direct seeding to complement other techniques of mine site rehabilitation in northern Thailand, where establishment of indigenous forest tree species is required for biodiversity recovery.

Study on Direct Seeding Density of Brassica napus

The statistical analysis of 97 literatures shows that there is a quadratic parabolic relationship between direct seeding density and yield of rape： Y = 2 213,058 9 ＋ 14,556 9 X- 0.145 5 X2. The optimum density is 3.413 × 10^5 - 5,001 × 10 ^5 plants/hm2. Compared with conventional rape, hybrid rape has higher yield （by 3.71%） and lower density （by 4,97%）, To obtain a high yield, conventional rape （or lines） needs to be planted more densely compared with hybrid rape,

Effects of Different Soil Preparation and Fertilizer Application Methods on the Growth and Yield of the Rice-Crayfish Rotation Direct Seeding Rice Nongxiang 32

In order to improve the yield and fertilizer utilization of the ricecrayfish rotation and direct seeding rice Nongxiang 32,the effects of different soil preparation and fertilizer application methods on the growth,yield and fertilizer utilization of the variety were studied.The results showed that,under the rice-crayfish rotation and direct seeding farming mode,the contributions of seed setting rate,1000-grain weight,yield,and fertilizer contribution rate to yield of Nongxiang 32 in the treatments with rotary tillage with base fertilizer,rotary tillage without base fertilizer and no-tillage with base fertilizer were relatively higher than those in the treatments with rotary tillage without fertilizer,no-tillage without fertilizer and no-tillage without base fertilizer,and there were no significant differences between the three treatments.Rotary tillage with base fertilizer and rotary tillage without base fertilizer significantly increased the total number of stems and tillers,total number of ears,and number of effective ears.Rotary tillage and application of base fertilizer also significantly increased the number of tillers,plant weight and weed suppression ability in the early stage of rice growth.Therefore,in the different soil preparation and fertilizer application methods,the application of base fertilizer with rotary tillage was the best,followed by rotary tillage without base fertilizer and no-tillage with base fertilizer.

Contrast Test Between Direct Seeding and Seedling Transplanting of Diwangcai

To improve the yield of Diwangcai and explore its best cultivation way,direct seeding and seedling transplanting of Diwangcai were contrasted. The results showed that cumulative annual yield of Diwangcai by seedling transplanting was 16% higher than that by direct seeding.

Experimental Study on Working Performance of Rice Rope Direct Seeding Machine

Structure and sowing principles of rice rope direct seeding machine are introduced. In order to test the machine＇ s working performance, such as compacting effect, sowing depth, influence of sowing device to rice rope, etc., field experiments were conducted. It is concluded that mean slip ratio of compacting wheel 1 is 4.44%, wheel 2 is 5.58%, wheel 3 is 7.81%, and wheel 4 is 6.96%; mean depth of planting is 29.72 mm, and mean variability coefficient of planting depth is 6.39%. Maximum variability coefficient of planting depth is 8.40%. Rice rope＇s snapping is closely related with the machine＇s speed and guide thread wheel by sowing device orthogonal experiments. Test results show that the machine has a rational design, safe work and meets to the requirements of planting. This study has laid the foundation for further studying the project.

Chemical Weeding in Dry Direct Seeding Fields of Single Cropping Middlelate Rice

Chemical weeding in dry direct seeding fields of single cropping middle-late rice was studied in Huida vegetable farm of Huizhou City in 2012. The main treatment was herbicide（ pretilachlor ＋ bensulfuron-methyl,Yangguo and butachlor）,and the sub-treatment was application method（ soil treatments,seedling treatment and integrated treatment）. The results showed that 80 g pretilachlor ＋ bensulfuron-methyl（ 36% pretilachlor ＋ 4% bensulfuron-methyl） diluted with 50 kg water could be sprayed or 200 g Yangguo（ 23. 9% butachlor ＋ 1. 1% bensulfuron-methyl） mixed with 15 kg sandy soil could be broadcasted per 667 m2 on the sowing day or the second day under moist condition of soil,which could effectively control weeds in dry direct seeding fields of single cropping middle-late rice.

Effects of Nitrogen Application Rate and Seeding Density on Plant Growth and Seed Yield of Direct-seeding Rape

[Objectives] This study was conducted to explore the effects of different N application rates and densities on the growth and development of direct-seeding rape as well as on its yield.[Methods] A field experiment was carried out by setting five N fertilizer treatments and three density levels.[Results] Increasing seeding density and N application rate could improve the seed yield of rape. The suitable N application rate for the three densities were calculated using the fitted fertilizer efficiency models, respectively, to be 186.77, 221.35 and 236.14 kg/hm^2, at which the yields were the highest. The results showed that in this area, the seeding density of direct-seeding rape could be selected in the range of 6.0×10^5-7.5×10^5 plants/hm^2, and the suitable N application rate could be in the range of 221.35-236.14 kg/hm^2.[Conclusions] This study provides a theoretical basis for the maximization of spatial resource and efficient utilization of fertilizer.