Mechanized Seedling Throwing Boosts Spring Ploughing in Gangbei District, Guigang

As the crucial spring ploughing season gets in full swing, Gangbei District of Guigang City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is vigorously promoting the ordered seedling throwing machine planting technology, which has opened up a new path for green and efficient rice cultivation with its precision, high efficiency and intelligence, according to People’s Network Guangxi Channel.

“This ordered seedling throwing machine can plant 13 rows at a time, with an efficiency roughly twice that of traditional mechanical transplanting. A skilled worker can operate 40 to 50 mu of farmland a day,” introduced Huang Weixin, Deputy Director and Senior Agronomist of Guigang City Agricultural Technology Promotion Center in Guangxi. Compared with traditional transplanting methods, the ordered seedling throwing technology has distinct advantages: the seedlings are transplanted with soil without damaging roots, take root quickly, and have higher planting density and sturdier growth, laying a solid foundation for high and stable rice yield.

Beyond improving efficiency and output, the technology also effectively reduces production costs. It is understood that traditional hybrid rice planting requires 4 to 5 jin of rice seeds per mu, while ordered seedling throwing only needs 3 to 3.5 jin per mu, saving more than 1 jin of seeds per mu. Based on the price of 40 yuan per jin for ordinary hybrid rice seeds, this translates to a cost saving of about 60 yuan per mu, achieving cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

The ordered seedling throwing machine, a type of transplanting equipment, features a grid-type seedling support device and a seedling guide tube, which can ensure the seedlings remain upright after planting and avoid seedling damage during the operation process. This advanced equipment is part of Gangbei District’s efforts to promote modern agricultural technologies in recent years.

In recent years, Gangbei District has actively promoted advanced agricultural machinery and technologies, including ordered seedling throwing and UAV crop protection, to drive the transformation of agricultural production towards mechanization, intelligence and scale, exploring a path for modern agricultural development. Currently, the comprehensive mechanization rate of rice ploughing, sowing and harvesting in Gangbei District reaches 93.11%, far higher than Guangxi’s average level of 85.2% in 2024.

Li Meihua, a large-scale grain grower in Gangbei District, shared her experience: “Since adopting the ordered seedling throwing technology last year, my rice yield has increased by about 7% per mu, and the labor cost has been reduced by nearly 30%. It’s really a good helper for us farmers to get rich.”

The vigorous promotion of ordered seedling throwing technology not only helps stabilize local grain production but also provides a practical reference for the modernization of agricultural production in the entire Guangxi region. It vividly demonstrates China’s efforts in advancing agricultural modernization and ensuring food security through technological innovation.