Xiaoying Zhu ^1,2

1 Deqing Xinshi Changlin Family Farm, Deqing, 313201, Zhejiang, China
2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Rice Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 2   doi: 10.5376/rgg.2025.16.0007
Received: 20 Jan., 2025    Accepted: 28 Feb., 2025    Published: 10 Mar., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Zhu X.Y., 2025, Optimizing planting density to enhance rice productivity, Rice Genomics and Genetics, 16(2): 71-85 (doi: 10.5376/rgg.2025.16.0007)

Improving rice yield is of great significance to food security. Under limited arable land conditions, improving yield per unit area by optimizing cultivation measures is a key strategy. Planting density is an important factor affecting rice population growth, yield formation and resource utilization efficiency. This study systematically analyzes the theoretical basis and mechanism of optimizing planting density to improve rice productivity, including the impact on plant growth and development, yield composition, rice quality and economic benefits, and discusses it in combination with practical cases in Nanchang, Jiangxi and Leshan, Sichuan. Studies have shown that a reasonable increase in planting density can increase the number of effective panicles and the number of panicles per unit area, thereby significantly increasing rice yield, but too high density will lead to intensified individual competition, a decrease in the number of panicles, a decrease in the fruiting rate, and an increase in the risk of lodging and disease, which will ultimately be counterproductive. The optimal density varies under different ecological regions and cultivation methods, and should be optimized according to local conditions such as variety characteristics, nitrogen fertilizer management and climatic conditions. The Nanchang Plain double-season rice area has achieved good results by appropriately reducing the sowing density to enhance individual lodging resistance, while the Leshan hilly area has achieved group yield increase through close planting combined with machine transplanting. In general, optimizing planting density requires balancing the relationship between group and individual, source of production and source of storage, to achieve high yield and high efficiency and stable yield and increase income. The comprehensive analysis of this article can provide a scientific basis for high-yield rice cultivation.

Rice; Planting density; Group growth; Yield composition; Economic benefits; Regional practice