The yield, quality, economic benefit, and comprehensive evaluation of film-covered mechanically transplanted rice

With the development of biodegradable films, film-covered mechanical transplanting, and controlled-release fertilizers, the sustainability and environmental friendliness of film-covered rice cultivation have been significantly enhanced, providing new momentum for the advancement of mechanized and simplified rice farming. Film-covered mechanical transplanting is increasingly being integrated into large-scale rice production systems, offering a promising approach to streamline field operations, reduce labor inputs, and enhance overall production efficiency. However, systematic research on the impacts of film-covered cultivation on rice yield, quality, economic benefit, and comprehensive evaluation remains insufficient. This study utilized conventional japonica rice, indica-japonica hybrid rice, and hybrid indica rice varieties as experimental materials. Four treatments were set up: film-covered cultivation with one-time application of controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (FMCS), film-covered cultivation with multiple applications of conventional nitrogen fertilizer (FMCF), non-film-covered cultivation with one-time application of controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (NFCS), and non-film-covered cultivation with multiple applications of conventional nitrogen fertilizer (NFCF). These treatments were implemented under mechanical transplanting conditions to simulate realistic farming scenarios. The results indicated that rice yields ranked as FMCS > NFCS > NFCF > FMCF, demonstrating that fertilization methods significantly impacted the yield performance of film-covered cultivation. FMCS achieved yield increases by optimizing effective panicle numbers and grains per panicle, increasing total spikelet numbers, and maintaining high seed-setting rates and thousand-grain weights. In terms of rice quality, compared to NFCS and NFCF, FMCS increased head rice rate by 0.8% and 1.5%, respectively, and reduced chalkiness degree by 13.6% and 18.7%, respectively, with some significant differences observed, thereby improving processing and appearance qualities. Additionally, FMCS showed a 0.9% reduction in protein content compared to NFCF, and its taste value score was 2.2% and 1.0% lower than that of FMCF and NFCS, respectively, though these differences were not statistically significant. The non-significant reduction in taste value of FMCS compared to the NFCS treatment may be attributed to the increased protein and amylose content, which affected the cooking and eating quality of the rice. Regarding economic benefits, the economic benefit of FMCS was 525 yuan/hm² lower than that of NFCS, and its ratio of output to input was also lower than those of both NFCS and NFCF. The significant increase in film and planting costs was the main reason for the reduced economic benefit and ratio of output to input. however, with suitable variety selection, its profitability notably exceeded that of NFCF. Based on a comprehensive evaluation model integrating the analytic hierarchy process, the membership function method of optimal indices, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation index method, the overall value of FMCS was found to be lower than NFCS but higher than NFCF, indicating its relatively high comprehensive benefits compared to traditional cultivation practices. Therefore, the FMCS mode exhibits considerable application potential but requires further optimization for cost reduction and efficiency enhancement. Future research should focus on improving membrane materials to reduce costs, refining fertilizer application strategies to optimize yield and rice quality, and enhancing mechanized operations to increase efficiency. Additionally, understanding the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying the growth and development of rice under film-covered cultivation is crucial for developing integrated technologies that promote green, high-efficiency rice production. By addressing these challenges, it will be possible to contribute to promote the integrated innovation and extensive adoption of green, high-yield, high-quality and high- efficiency film-covered rice cultivation technologies.