On July 25, the Field Observation and Seminar on Straw incorporation by water-logged press-bury technology in Double-Cropping Rice Areas was organized and staged by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) — part of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences — in Qiyang, Yongzhou city in Hunan province. The event was attended by over 50 participants — including experts from the National Rice Industry Technology System, representatives of the Qiyang Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, and local major growers.

Double-cropping rice areas contribute nearly 30% of the nation's rice production — playing an irreplaceable strategic role in ensuring the security of the nation’s staple food supply. However, due to long-term shallow plowing, these rice fields commonly face issues — including thinning of the plough layer and upward movement of the plough pan — severely constraining the growth space for rice roots and making it difficult to steadily raise rice yields. What’s more, as the interval period of the early rice harvesting and late rice planting is relatively short and the quality of straw incorporation by shallow plowing is relatively poor, high temperatures during this period will result in the generation of harmful substances, affecting the survival of transplanted late rice seedlings. After the late rice harvest, straw remains on the surface for a long time, hindering decomposition and carbon replenishment — while providing an overwintering environment for pests and diseases, increasing pesticide use.

To address the challenge, a team led by Liu Hongbin — from the Key Laboratory of Non-Point Source Pollution Control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Beijing Changping National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station on Soil Quality — developed a straw pressing and burying technology for rice. The technology transforms traditional shallow plowing operations into an integrated process of "stubble breaking—vertical cutting—burying—smoothing". It is said to achieve soil-straw integration and seedling-straw separation — allowing for time-efficient agricultural operations, promoting decomposition, while resolving the issues of root rot and seedling stagnation. 

Zhao Bingran, a researcher at the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, is enthusiastic about the results. "This technology achieves efficient integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy — completing high-quality straw return in a single operation,” he explained. “It not only provides a solution for straw management, but also curbs soil degradation and increases yield — offering a solution to the straw returns challenge in double-cropping rice areas. It is worthy of large-scale promotion," Zhao declared.