Effect of Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) Cultivation dring Winter on Rice Yield and Soil Properties

An experiment was carried out using pots to investigate the effects of Chinese milk vetch on the seedling establishment and growth in rice. Four irrigations with five-day intervals and three different levels of vetch straw were investigated. Significantly higher panicle numbers were obtained in vetch-treated pots. Vetch levels were non-treatment as checks, vetch with top removed, root plus shoot 7.5 ton/ha, and root plus shoot 3.0 ton/ha. The time for complete degradation of vetch straws was reduced from 10 days to 5 days as submerged time was delayed, and was affected by the amount of mulched vetch straws. As the mulched vetch amount increased, the time for a complete degradation was extended from 4 days to 12 days. Grain yield and its components were significantly affected by irrigation time and mulched vetch amount. Effectively controlled, lowered reduction damage from the degrading vetch straw, irrigation date and vetch amount were the most important factors for the improving of seedling establishment in direct-sown rice.