Guiding Opinions on Harvesting and Planting of Southern Rice Harvest in 2025

Currently, the southern rice growing region is about to enter the "double grab" season of early rice harvest and late rice planting. In order to effectively carry out mechanized production work such as early rice harvesting and late rice planting, strengthen mechanized measures to assist in the large-scale yield increase of crops such as grain and oil, and consolidate the foundation of autumn grain production, this technical guidance is formulated for reference by various regions.

The rush to harvest early rice is directly related to the high yield of early rice and the rush to plant late rice, which directly affects the yield of late rice. We should start from selecting suitable harvest periods, suitable machinery, adjusting good operating conditions, and improving the skills of machine operators to improve production efficiency, reduce harvest losses, and ensure the return of rice grains to the warehouse.

When all the early indica rice grains have hardened and more than 90% of the grain hulls, cobs, and branches turn yellow, mechanical harvesting can be carried out to avoid cutting green. The harvesting sequence should be arranged reasonably based on local weather conditions, variety characteristics, and cultivation conditions, and timely harvesting should be carried out. Rice that has reached the yellow maturity stage should be harvested in a timely manner. In case of continuous rainy weather or floods, close attention should be paid to weather changes, and efforts should be concentrated to harvest at the right time before the rain. If necessary, night work can be fully utilized to avoid crop lodging and sprouting due to over ripening of seeds or continuous rainfall in the later stage. For those not harvested in a timely manner, ditches should be opened for drainage after rain, and harvesting should be done on sunny days. If there is dew, work should be carried out only after the dew has subsided.

The rice harvest operation generally uses a fully fed tracked grain combine harvester. When the height of rice plants is 65-110cm, the difference in ear width is ≤ 25cm, or when harvesting difficult to thresh varieties (threshing intensity greater than 180g), it is advisable to use a semi fed tracked grain combine harvester. In order to improve the quality of harvesting operations and reduce loss rates, it is advisable to choose advanced, applicable, safe, reliable, energy-saving and environmentally friendly new models. It is recommended to equip them with stem shredding and throwing devices, which are convenient for straw returning and stubble burying operations. It is not advisable to use old agricultural machinery that is difficult to meet operational quality standards. The appropriate feeding amount should be selected based on factors such as plot size and early rice yield.