Rice Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 260-266 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 261 development history and advantages of integrated rice-fish farming, and then analyzes the key indicators of rice quality and their influencing factors; then it explores in depth the specific mechanism of rice-fish system to improve rice quality, and analyzes it in combination with recent research and experimental evidence; finally, it points out the challenges and opportunities faced by integrated rice-fish farming in the process of promotion, providing reference for future research directions and policy formulation. 2 Rice-Fish Co-Culture Systems 2.1 Common types of rice-fish systems There are many ways to farm rice and fish, the most common ones are rice-fish, rice-shrimp, rice-crab and other combinations. The purpose of each method is to make better use of land and water resources and increase production. For example, the rice-fish model is to put fish in rice fields, common fish are carp and tilapia. These fish can eat pests and help circulate nutrients in the fields (Wan et al., 2019; Arunrat and Sereenonchai, 2022). The rice-shrimp model is more common in coastal areas. The water there is a bit salty, which is suitable for both growing rice and raising shrimp (Hu et al., 2016). The rice-crab model is generally used in places where crabs are suitable for growth. This practice not only allows farmers to earn more income, but also improves the ecological environment in the fields (Feng et al., 2016). 2.2 Ecological structure and functional attributes of co-culture systems The structure of the rice-fish system is very special. It is an ecosystem where rice and aquatic animals interact together. There are multi-level nutritional relationships between them, which makes the biological species more diverse and the ecological function stronger. This system can increase the organic matter and effective nutrients in the soil, which is very helpful for rice growth and can also increase yields (Figure 1) (Lv et al., 2020; Arunrat et al., 2022). There are fish or shrimps in the fields, which can also eat pests and weeds, so less pesticides and fertilizers are used. This method is not only more environmentally friendly, but also makes the rice quality better (Wan et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2023). The rice-fish system also saves water and nutrients can be recycled, which is a more environmentally friendly practice than traditional agriculture. Figure 1 Photographs of the paddies in the field investigation (A) and plots in the mesocosm experiment (B) (Adopted from Lv et al., 2020) 2.3 Comparison with traditional rice monoculture Compared with the traditional method of growing only rice, rice-fish farming has obvious advantages in both ecology and economy. Studies have found that using this system can increase economic benefits by about 25.4%. Because in addition to selling rice, farmers can also earn an extra income by raising fish. Moreover, fish can help control pests and weeds, so less pesticides and fertilizers are used, saving costs. From an ecological perspective, the rice-fish system can also make the soil more fertile, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, be more environmentally friendly, and be conducive to long-term development (Li et al., 2022; Xie et al., 2024). Raising fish in the fields can also increase beneficial microorganisms in the soil and improve nutrient cycles. These
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