Farmers in Guangshan cultivate recycled rice seeds to harvest two crops at a time and sell them for 40 yuan per jin.

Rice, like leek, is cut again and again, which is nothing new to the south of the Yangtze River, but to the north of the Yangtze River, it was once the extravagant hope of thousands of rice farmers. Today, Zhongsen efficient Agricultural Professional Cooperative in Guangshan County has successfully planted ratooning rice after four years of experiment and cultivation.

Although the yield of the second crop of ratooning rice is only 1/3 of that of the first crop, it has good quality and high added value, with a price of more than 40 yuan per kilogram of rice, which has brought considerable economic benefits to farmers.

New rice plants grow from the roots of old rice

Two farmers sprinkle chemical fertilizer on harvested rice fields in a rice field near Zhaowan Village, Queshan Township, Guangshan County, on September 12.

The rice field has just been harvested, it is a mess, the remaining rice stubble is yellow. Are farmers fertilizing the land for the next season? Lao Chen, a farmer who is busy in the fields, said, "this is ratooning rice. If it is cut, it will grow new seedlings and grow rice." We are fertilizing to promote rapid growth. "

"have you ever heard that rice can grow when cut?"

The farmer said, "I am more than 70 years old. I have never heard of it before. I have learned a lot this year." It turns out that rice can grow as long as it is cut like leeks. "

In another nearby rice field that was only harvested in mid-August, new green seedlings have grown on the roots of the old rice, and some of the fast-growing ones have already heading. The technicians from the township agricultural technical station walked into the rice field and randomly found a pinch of old rice roots to count how many new seedlings they had sent, but there were more than 20. "this is similar to the new rice that has just been planted," he said.

The technician said: in fact, the rice planted in the past also produced new plants after harvest, but it was only an isolated phenomenon and could not form economies of scale and effective yield. Today, the first crop yield of more than 2000 mu of ratoon rice planted in this area is generally more than 1100 jin per mu, some of which are even higher than that of ordinary rice. The yield of the second crop is more than 400 jin per mu. Although the yield is lower than the first crop, but the rice quality is good, the taste is good, the nutrition is more abundant, the rice price is high, the economic benefit is especially good.

The leader of planting ratoon rice

The successful planting of ratooning rice in Guangshan County is closely related to the efforts of Tang Fuxiu, a native of Guangshan.

Tang Fuxiu, 46, used to work as an executive in a company in Zhengzhou. He earns a lot of money and has no worries about food and drink. He was stimulated by the drought in Guangshan County in 2000, and his comfortable life changed. He said, "in that year, there was no harvest in my hometown, and the branch secretary of this village also went out to work. I think all the village branch secretaries go out to work, how should ordinary farmers live? I advised the village secretary not to go out to work. I went back to my hometown to contract land for the farm. "

Tang Fuxiu did what he said. That year, he contracted 2000 mu of land to engage in ecological agriculture. Who thought, the ideal is very plump, the reality is very skeletal, do what to compensate for. Raise ducks, no one wants ducks; grow sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes are rotten to the ground and no one digs them.

It is better to rely on others than on yourself. In 2006, Tang Fuxiu officially resigned, went back to his hometown to engage in agriculture, adjusted the planting structure, and changed the planting structure to fruits and flowers. But this is not Tang Fuxiu's goal. He hopes to drive more farmers and more entrepreneurs back home to become rich. But where is this road? He set his sights on recycled rice.

There is a lot of water in Guangshan County, which is very suitable for growing rice. Prior to this, scientific research institutions of the agricultural department also experimented with planting ratooning rice in many places in Guangshan County, but all of them ended in failure, and then the idea of planting ratooning rice there was given up.

Tang Fuxiu said: "I had never heard of ratooning rice before, but after seeing it in the south, I was so impressed that I was determined to introduce it to Guangshan County for the benefit of farmers."

Tang Fuxiu took the lead in the establishment of Zhongsen efficient ecological agriculture professional cooperative, adopting their own demonstration, large households to pull, small households to follow up the strategy to gradually introduce and promote ratooning rice. In 2012, he introduced a recycled rice variety and planted 3 mu of land. But lost in the first battle, only harvested more than 500 jin of rice in the second crop of 3 mu of land. However, there was something gratifying about the failure: the rice produced was tasted by everyone, and they all said it was delicious, and there were broad market prospects in the future.

This boosted Tang Fuxiu's confidence in introducing ratooning rice. In the second year, he planted 14 mu of ratoon rice, and the second crop yield reached more than 380 jin per mu. This has been a huge breakthrough, and Tang Fuxiu's heart blossomed with joy. But at the same time, he is also reflecting: why did the second crop of ratoon rice not reach the ideal yield?

The key to the yield is the number of new plants sent out. Tang Fuxiu and technicians constantly analyzed and looked for the reasons, explored how to apply fertilizer to promote the germination and growth of new plants, when to release water to the paddy field to accelerate growth, and found a new method suitable for local climatic conditions.

In 2014, Tang Fuxiu's cooperative planted more than 300 mu of ratoon rice, with a yield of 1500 jin per mu in the first crop, much higher than that of other local varieties, and more than 360 jin per mu in the second crop. "Last year the climate was particularly suitable for the growth of early rice," he said. In the second crop, due to the low temperature, there were more Rain Water, resulting in a decline in output. "

This year, Tang Fuxiu comprehensively promoted ratooning rice, and the cooperative planted more than 2200 mu of ratoon rice. He said: "according to the yield of ratooning rice in recent years, ratooning rice has been successfully planted in Guangshan County. We have planted 8 varieties, and after several years of experiments, it has been proved that only two varieties are suitable for planting in this area, and the yield and economic benefits are significant. "

The output is more than rice, the quality is good, the market is hot.

Tang Fuxiu's success in growing recycled rice has subverted the traditional local concept of rice cultivation.

Tang Fuxiu selected 36 households from among the members of the cooperative to grow ratoon rice, hoping that by setting an example, more people would become rich by planting ratoon rice.

Pei Renhe is a native of Zhaowan Village, Queshan Township, Guangshan County, with a total contract of more than 400 mu of land. "I've been growing rice for seven or eight years, and I've never heard of ratooning rice before," he said. Generally speaking, after planting a crop of rice, the winter land will be abandoned. "

With the encouragement of Tang Fuxiu, Pei Renhe planted 70 mu of ratoon rice this year and achieved a bumper harvest. He said cheerfully, "I was a little scared when I first planted it. If the yield is low, I can catch it blind." Unexpectedly, the yield in the first crop of this year reached more than 1300 jin per mu, which is even higher than that of ordinary rice, and the second crop is also growing well. "

Lu Ensong was one of the first five members to set up a cooperative with Tang Fuxiu, contracted more than 1000 mu of land, and planted more than 100 mu of ratoon rice this year. "I'm not afraid of growing recycled rice," he said. Lao Tang experiment has been planted for so many years, proved to be successful, and technical guidance, when to apply fertilizer, when to apply medicine, when to release water, the guidance is very meticulous. The second crop of rice is uniformly purchased and sold by the co-operatives, and there is no need to worry about whether the rice can be sold. "

At present, the rice produced by the second crop of ratooning rice tastes good and is very popular in the market, with a price of more than 20 yuan per jin, which brings considerable economic benefits to farmers.

The output is more than rice, the quality is good, the market is hot.

Tang Fuxiu's success in growing recycled rice has subverted the traditional local concept of rice cultivation.

Tang Fuxiu selected 36 households from among the members of the cooperative to grow ratoon rice, hoping that by setting an example, more people would become rich by planting ratoon rice.

Pei Renhe is a native of Zhaowan Village, Queshan Township, Guangshan County, with a total contract of more than 400 mu of land. "I've been growing rice for seven or eight years, and I've never heard of ratooning rice before," he said. Generally speaking, after planting a crop of rice, the winter land will be abandoned. "