Extension and Application of Precision Rice Hill-Drop Drilling Machine

The precision rice hill-drop drilling machine developed by South China Agricultural University (SCAU) can form a ridge, open a drilling furrow on the ridge and a water furrow between the ridges, and hill-drop seeds in the drilling furrow synchronously according to the requirement of rice planting. In comparison with the traditional manual broadcasting, mechanical broadcasting and air broadcasting, precision hill-drop drilling has obvious advantages such as good ventilation and light transmission for orderly seedlings, low risks of the infection by pests and diseases and good lodging resistance, hence a better growth and lower cost can be achieved in later stages of rice production. In order to investigate the extension and application effect of the precision rice hill-drop drilling machines with the difference of soil conditions, rice varieties and growth seasons, large numbers of extension and application experiments were conducted in China, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam from 2006 to 2011. Results showed that the average yield for precision rice hill-drop drilling reached 8250-9000kg/ha. Compared with manual broadcasting, manual seedling broadcasting and manual transplanting, the yield increased by 10%, 8% and 6%, respectively, and the maximum economic benefit increased individually by RMB 750 yuan/ha, RMB 1,125 yuan/ha, and RMB 1,875 yuan/ha, respectively.