A Rice Model System for Determining Suitable Sowing and Transplanting Dates

Abstract

Sowing and transplanting dates are important cultivation factors for rice production. Therefore, the present study focused on developing a rice model system that would be able to determine sowing and transplanting dates for diverse cultivars and planting methods in different agro-ecological zones. Different model parameters were integrated into a rice model system on the basis of their interaction effects in this study. The results showed that sowing and transplanting dates designed by the rice model system were approached to the planting dates recommended by local agricultural experts for high yield practices, with root mean squared error (RMSE) of 5.3 to 14.74 days. The model system accurately simulated suitable sowing and transplanting dates under most scenarios with relatively low RMSE, high linear correlation coefficient (R²), and model efficiency (EF). Using the model system recommendations, rice yield under manual transplanting in low fertility soil was increased the most (5.5%), while for direct sowing in high fertility soil, yield increase was modest (0.8%). The newly-developed rice model system can act as a technical approach to design suitable sowing and transplanting dates for achieving high yield and effective crop production.