In the mystery of agriculture, rice always occupies an important position. As an important part of Eastern civilization, rice is not only the pride of China's agriculture, but also the key to global food security.
However, when we turn our attention to the West, especially the United States, an interesting phenomenon emerges: the yield per acre in the United States is actually higher than that of China, which is also cultivated with rice. This phenomenon can't help but arouse people's curiosity and thinking: why do the same seeds have such different results in different lands?
To answer this question, we first need to understand the background and reasons for the relationship between China and the United States in rice cultivation. As the world's largest rice producer, China has thousands of years of cultivation history and rich cultivation experience. However, China's rice cultivation area is huge, reaching 30 million hectares, compared to 1.02 million hectares in the United States. This huge disparity stems from China's large population base and dependence on rice. The average rice consumption in Chinese is as high as 150 kilograms, while the average rice consumption in the United States is only 45 kg.
In addition, the diversity and complexity of China's terrain are also important factors affecting yield. Most of China's rice-growing areas have complex topography and numerous mountains and hills, which limits the development of large-scale cultivation. In contrast, rice-growing areas in the United States are concentrated in the vast plains of the Midwest, which are not only fertile but also lend themselves to large-scale mechanized cultivation.
In terms of core content, we need to go deep into why the United States can surpass China in rice yield per acre. First, rice cultivation in the United States is highly dependent on modern agricultural technology. More than 80% of paddy fields in the United States have been fully mechanized, including aircraft and drone sowing, which has greatly improved the efficiency and yield of planting. However, rice cultivation in China still relies on more manual operations, and the level of mechanization is only 69%.
Secondly, variety selection and breeding techniques are also key factors. The United States pays great attention to market demand in the selection of rice varieties, and long-grain varieties are suitable for export because of their excellent rice quality. In China, short- and medium-grain varieties are the main varieties. In addition, the United States has also made remarkable achievements in stress resistance breeding, such as new varieties that are resistant to drought and heat, and enhance the environmental adaptability of rice.
Although the U.S. has a higher yield per acre than China, this does not mean that China is at a disadvantage when it comes to rice cultivation. China is actively promoting the high-yield model of "variety cultivation + supporting technology" to increase the average yield per mu. For example, the hybrid rice cultivated by Hebei Silicon Valley Agricultural University has a yield of 1326 per mu77 kg, setting the highest record for rice cultivation. At the same time, China has also made remarkable progress in rice breeding technology, such as the rapid domestication of tetraploid wild rice, which will help to breed new high-yielding rice varieties that are more adaptable and more resistant to stress.
In this era of globalization, the differences and cooperation between China and the United States in the field of rice cultivation are not only the exchange of technology and parties, but also the integration of culture and ideas. Rice cultivation in the United States demonstrates an efficient, mechanized modern agricultural model, while China's practice is a model of tradition and innovation. The exchange and Xi of these two models provide valuable experience for the sustainable development of global agriculture.
The differences between China and the United States in rice cultivation reflect their respective agricultural characteristics and development paths. The high yields in the United States demonstrate the power of modern agricultural technology, while China shows great potential for combining traditional agriculture with modern technology. In the future, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the field of rice cultivation will help promote the progress of global food security, jointly meet challenges and achieve win-win results.