Grain Rain Farming

Around Grain Rain, frozen ground across Northeast China has thawed completely and spring sowing begins in earnest. Daytime highs may reach 10–15°C, while soil temperatures remain steadily above 8–10°C, bringing maize, soybeans, rice, and other major crops into their optimal sowing window.
Spring sowing expands fully. Spring planting reaches its peak around Grain Rain across Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and neighboring areas, with maize and soybean sowing spreading over large acreages. Maize is generally planted from mid- to late April, while soybean sowing comes somewhat later, from late April into early May. Farmers seize every stretch of clear weather for concentrated fieldwork, and large seeders often operate day and night, completing sowing, fertilization, and rolling in a single pass. Sowing depth is adjusted according to 墒情 (*soil-moisture conditions*): when moisture is adequate, seed is placed 3–5 centimeters deep; when conditions are drier, planting depth is increased appropriately so as to secure a full and even stand. Large-scale mechanized planting across Heilongjiang’s state-farm system unfolds fully during Grain Rain, with a single seeder capable of covering several hundred *mu* in one day.
Rice seedling raising enters a crucial stage. Rice nurseries across Northeast China reach an important turning point around Grain Rain. Seedlings have developed two to three leaves and enter the “离乳期”—the stage when they shift from relying primarily on nutrients stored in the endosperm to drawing nutrition through their own root systems. Nursery management must therefore become more precise: daytime temperatures are maintained at 20–25°C, nighttime temperatures should not fall below 10°C, seedbeds are kept moist, and common early-spring diseases such as damping-off and seedling rot must be prevented. Seedling age is generally controlled at 30–35 days, with transplantation into the main field taking place at the “三叶一心” stage, usually around mid-May.
Monitoring soil moisture. Grain Rain is one of the decisive periods for spring sowing in Northeast China, and soil moisture directly determines planting quality and emergence rates. Farmers closely monitor field conditions; where moisture is inadequate, they may irrigate before sowing to create sufficient moisture or adopt drought-resistant planting measures such as deeper sowing and firm rolling.
Pasture management. Pastures in eastern Inner Mongolia return fully to green, and livestock move from pen feeding back to grazing. Herders need to control grazing intensity so that tender new grass is not overgrazed before pastures recover, while gradually extending grazing time to allow animals to adapt to fresh forage. The quality of spring grazing management directly affects pasture productivity throughout the year.
Protected agriculture. Peak greenhouse-vegetable production continues in southern Liaoning. Rising temperatures make greenhouse overheating increasingly likely, so daytime ventilation and cooling need to be strengthened. Open-field vegetables such as spinach, Chinese chives, and lettuce enter rapid growth around Grain Rain.

Around Grain Rain, Northwest China enters the busiest stage of spring sowing: spring-wheat planting reaches its peak, winter wheat in southern Xinjiang enters booting-to-heading with the highest water and nutrient demand of the year, and cotton sowing expands fully.
Peak spring-wheat sowing. Across the Hexi Corridor in Gansu and the Yellow River irrigation districts of Ningxia, spring-wheat planting reaches its maximum around Grain Rain. The 顶凌播种 window is fully open and farmers race against time to finish the work. Seed is placed 3–5 centimeters deep at row spacing of 15–20 centimeters, followed immediately by rolling to preserve soil moisture. Spring-wheat acreage reaches its annual peak at this time, making sowing quality directly relevant to the year’s grain production.
Management from booting to heading in winter wheat. Winter wheat in the Tarim Basin of southern Xinjiang moves into the booting-to-heading stage around Grain Rain. Young-ear development enters its final phase and heading and flowering begin, making this a decisive stage for both kernels per ear and thousand-kernel weight. Water and nutrient demand reaches its annual maximum, so farmers irrigate promptly at 50–60 cubic meters per *mu* and apply 孕穗肥 (*booting fertilizer*) consisting of 5–8 kilograms of urea plus 3–5 kilograms of potash fertilizer per *mu*. Weather conditions during heading and flowering are particularly important: persistent rain can disrupt pollination and reduce seed set, while hot, dry winds may deactivate pollen and lower kernel number.
Cotton sowing expands fully. Xinjiang is China’s largest cotton-producing region, and Grain Rain is a critical planting period. Cotton-growing areas in both southern and northern Xinjiang begin sowing as temperatures rise, once soil temperature remains steadily above 12–14°C. Seed is planted 2–3 centimeters deep, generally using under-film drip irrigation systems that lay plastic mulch, sow seed, and install drip lines in a single operation, thereby conserving moisture, raising soil temperature, and encouraging early growth. Cotton acreage reaches its annual planting peak around Grain Rain, and sowing quality directly affects farm income for the year.
Spring irrigation expands fully. In Gansu, Ningxia, and western Inner Mongolia, spring wheat needs prompt “蒙头水” after sowing to ensure germination and emergence. Grain Rain is a concentrated spring-irrigation period, requiring farmers to coordinate the order of irrigation and make full use of Yellow River water resources.
Orchard management. Apples, fragrant pears, grapes, and other fruit trees in southern Xinjiang move from leaf expansion into flowering during Grain Rain. Growers must complete spring pruning before full leaf expansion, apply pre-flowering fertilizer—mainly phosphorus and potassium—to support flowering and fruit set, and monitor aphids, spider mites, pear psylla, and other pests after leaves emerge.
Specialty crops. Potato planting in Dingxi, Gansu, reaches its peak around Grain Rain; goji in Ningxia enters a key period for spring pruning and fertilization; and processing-tomato planting expands fully across Xinjiang.

Around Grain Rain, North China enters one of the busiest periods of the agricultural year. Winter wheat advances into the booting-to-heading stage while spring-maize sowing reaches its peak.
Management from booting to heading in winter wheat. Winter wheat across the North China Plain enters booting-to-heading: young-ear development reaches its final stage and heading and flowering begin. This period is decisive for both kernel number and thousand-kernel weight, and the crop’s demand for water and nutrients becomes extremely urgent. Fields with inadequate soil moisture need prompt irrigation at 40–50 cubic meters per *mu*, while weak stands receive 5–8 kilograms of urea per *mu* as booting fertilizer. Weather during heading and flowering also requires close attention: persistent cloudy and rainy conditions may interfere with pollination, while hot, dry winds can deactivate pollen and reduce kernel number. Farmers therefore follow forecasts closely and, before a hot dry wind arrives, may apply foliar fertilizer such as monopotassium phosphate to improve crop stress resistance.
Peak spring-maize sowing. Spring maize across the North China Plain reaches its planting peak around Grain Rain. Sowing generally takes place from mid- to late April, and the period around Grain Rain provides one of the best windows because soil temperature remains steadily above 10°C and soil moisture is generally suitable. Seed is planted 3–5 centimeters deep at row spacing of 60–70 centimeters, followed by rolling to preserve moisture. Spring-maize acreage reaches its annual peak at this time as farmers make concentrated use of favorable weather.
Final sprint of spring irrigation. Spring irrigation across North China enters its last major push. Wheat fields that have not yet been irrigated need to complete the work quickly in order to secure adequate moisture through booting and heading. Spring irrigation is generally brought to an end around Grain Rain.
Pest and disease control. Rising temperatures push wheat pests and diseases into a high-incidence period. The main targets include wheat powdery mildew, identified by white powdery growth on leaves and treated with triadimefon; wheat rust, treated with triadimefon or tebuconazole; aphids, treated with imidacloprid; and wheat midge, a major pest during heading whose adults lay eggs in wheat ears and whose larvae feed on developing kernels, controlled with lambda-cyhalothrin. Farmers should inspect their fields at least once a week and treat infestations promptly.
Fruit-set management in orchards. Apple-, pear-, and peach-growing areas enter the fruit-set stage. Growers thin overly dense, malformed, or pest-damaged young fruit, generally leaving 1–2 fruits per apple cluster and 1–3 fruits per pear cluster; apply fruit-setting fertilizer, mainly potash, to encourage development; and strengthen control of apple ring rot, pear scab, peach aphids, oriental fruit moth, and other pests and diseases entering their treatment windows.
Vegetable sowing and transplantation. Open-field vegetable planting reaches its peak, with spring radish, spring Chinese cabbage, spring cabbage, and other major vegetables sown or transplanted. Greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers enter peak harvest and require stronger water, nutrient, pest, and disease management.

Around Grain Rain, the middle and lower Yangtze enters the busiest stage of the agricultural year, as peak early-rice transplantation, rapeseed pod setting, and the second major spring-tea harvest overlap.
Peak early-rice transplantation. In southern Jiangnan—including Jiangxi, southern Hunan, and southern Zhejiang—early-rice seedlings reach the “四叶一心” to “五叶一心” stages around Grain Rain and enter the peak of large-scale transplantation. After transplanting, farmers maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters to promote 返青 (*post-transplant recovery*) and low-position tillering. In northern Jiangnan—including Anhui, southern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang—nursery seedlings likewise enter peak transplantation around Grain Rain after 炼苗 (*seedling hardening*) has been completed. Large-scale transplantation generally finishes between Grain Rain and 立夏 (Lìxià, Beginning of Summer).
Management of rapeseed during peak pod setting. Rapeseed across the Yangtze River basin enters peak pod formation. Young pods expand rapidly and seeds accelerate their development and filling, making this the most decisive stage for final yield: both pod number and seed plumpness directly affect production. Farmers apply 荚肥 (*pod fertilizer*), primarily potash, at 3–5 kilograms of potassium chloride per *mu* to support seed filling; control sclerotinia, the crop’s most important disease, which reaches a high-incidence period around Grain Rain and is treated with carbendazim or dedicated sclerotinia-control products; and guard against lodging, as the increasing weight of the above-ground canopy makes the crop vulnerable to strong winds and heavy rain. Rapeseed begins moving toward maturity around Grain Rain, and some early-maturing cultivars start turning yellow.
The second peak of spring-tea harvesting. Tea-growing regions of Jiangnan—including Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi—enter the second major spring-tea harvest around Grain Rain, with the picking of 雨前茶 (*tea harvested before Grain Rain*) expanding fully. Although it is not as delicate as 明前茶, Rain-Before tea has a fuller body and richer aroma and is highly valued by tea drinkers. Tea growers remain continuously occupied as picking, processing, and sales follow one another in rapid succession. After Grain Rain, the spring-tea harvest gradually moves toward its end.
Clearing ditches and preventing waterlogging. Spring rainfall continues increasing during Grain Rain and field humidity remains high. Farmers need to keep drainage systems under close inspection and ensure that the “三沟”—main, central, and perimeter ditches—remain clear. Rice-stubble fields face the greatest drainage pressure and require particular attention to prevent waterlogging. Rainfall increases still further after Grain Rain, and ditch clearing and waterlogging prevention continue into the plum-rain season.
Greenhouse and open-field vegetables. Greenhouse fruiting vegetables across the Yangtze basin enter peak harvest, with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers continuing to reach the market. Open-field crops such as stem lettuce, celery, garlic, and spring cabbage enter rapid growth and harvest, requiring strengthened water and nutrient management together with pest and disease control.

Around Grain Rain, agricultural activity expands fully across Southwest China. Early-rice transplantation in warm lowland valleys comes completely to an end, winter wheat in the Sichuan Basin enters booting-to-heading, stripe-rust control reaches its final decisive stage, and peak spring-tea harvesting continues.
Early-rice transplantation concludes fully. In southern Yunnan—including Xishuangbanna and Honghe—and in the Panxi region of Sichuan, early-rice transplantation is fully completed around Grain Rain. After transplantation, a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters is maintained to promote recovery and tillering. The warm lowland valleys of Yunnan have abundant heat resources, so transplanted rice grows rapidly, with some fields already moving from peak tillering toward young-panicle differentiation.
Final battle against wheat stripe rust. Winter wheat in the Sichuan Basin is at booting-to-heading around Grain Rain, while stripe-rust control enters its final decisive stage. The pathogen’s spores spread rapidly and can cause serious damage, making Grain Rain the last major control window. If the disease is not effectively contained at this point, large quantities of spores may be carried by southwesterly air currents into northern wheat-growing areas. Agricultural authorities in Sichuan therefore launch broad control operations, with plant-protection personnel entering individual wheat fields to scout and spray. Farmers should inspect their own fields at least twice a week and immediately report and treat yellow stripe-like spore pustules. The decisive control period generally runs from Qingming to Grain Rain; after Grain Rain, disease-control pressure gradually begins to ease.
Peak spring-tea harvesting continues. Tea-growing areas across Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan remain in peak harvest around Grain Rain. Low-altitude tea districts are at the height of picking, while middle- and high-altitude gardens successively enter harvest. Famous tea regions such as Mount Emei and Mengding Mountain in Sichuan, Duyun in Guizhou, and Pu’er in Yunnan remain extremely busy. After Grain Rain, the spring-tea harvest gradually moves toward its end.
Potato seedling management. Spring potatoes in the major producing areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan enter a critical seedling-management stage. Farmers carry out a second intertillage at 5–8 centimeters deep together with weeding and topdressing, apply 苗肥 (*seedling fertilizer*) at 5–8 kilograms of urea per *mu* to promote stem and leaf growth and tuber formation, and strengthen disease and pest control. Late blight—the most important potato disease—enters a key prevention window around Grain Rain. Seedling condition directly influences tuber number and final yield.
Rapeseed and broad beans. Rapeseed in Sichuan and Guizhou moves from peak pod setting toward maturity and requires continued control of sclerotinia. Broad beans enter maturity and farmers begin preparing for harvest.

#### (1) Mainland South China
Management of early rice during young-panicle differentiation. Early rice across South China enters young-panicle differentiation around Grain Rain. The young panicle begins differentiating and developing within the stem, making this a crucial stage for determining grain number per panicle. Fields should maintain a shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters without interruption, while 穗肥 (*panicle fertilizer*), primarily potash, is applied at 5–8 kilograms of potassium chloride per *mu* to support young-panicle development. Farmers also carry out 晒田控苗 (*draining and drying the paddy to regulate crop growth*) after unproductive tillers have been adequately controlled, leaving the field drained for 7–10 days to encourage deeper rooting and young-panicle development. Because young-panicle differentiation is central to rice yield formation, the precision of management at this stage directly affects both kernel number and final production.
Growth management of spring peanuts and maize. Spring peanuts enter peak flowering and pegging. Large numbers of flowers open, and the fertilized pegs extend into the soil to form pods. Management includes a third intertillage at 5–8 centimeters deep, application of 结荚肥 (*pod-setting fertilizer*) at 10–15 kilograms of compound fertilizer per *mu* to promote pod development, and control of leaf spot, aphids, cotton bollworm, and other pests and diseases. Spring maize moves into jointing-to-tasseling; stems elongate rapidly and tassels begin to emerge, requiring stronger water and nutrient management and the application of 穗肥 (*panicle fertilizer*) at 8–10 kilograms of urea per *mu*.
Fruit retention and summer-shoot management in tropical orchards. Mangoes in Hainan and Guangxi enter young-fruit development and require continued 保果 (*fruit-retention management*), including fruit-retention sprays, thinning of overly dense young fruit, and control of mango gall midges and thrips. Early lychee cultivars enter fruit development and require stronger water and nutrient supply, while middle- and late-season cultivars enter the young-fruit stage and need attention to fruit retention. Citrus in Guangdong and Guangxi moves from flowering toward young-fruit development, and nitrogen application must be controlled so vigorous summer shoots do not interfere with fruit set.
Vegetables and aquaculture. Open-field vegetables across South China enter rapid growth and peak harvest. Choy sum, Chinese kale, lettuce, and spinach grow quickly and need to be harvested promptly. Rising temperatures bring pests and diseases into a high-incidence period, requiring stronger control of diamondback moth, aphids, downy mildew, and powdery mildew. In aquaculture, fish enter rapid growth, feed amounts are increased gradually, and water-quality management and disease prevention become increasingly important.
#### (2) Taiwan
Rice: The first rice crop in central Taiwan—including Changhua, Yunlin, and the Chianan Plain—enters heading around Grain Rain. Young panicles emerge from the stems and begin flowering and pollination. A shallow water layer of 3–5 centimeters should be maintained through heading, with close attention to panicle-stage pests and diseases such as rice blast, sheath blight, and stem borers. In the south, particularly the Kaohsiung–Pingtung region, rice moves from heading into grain filling and requires similar management. In northern Taiwan, including Taoyuan and Hsinchu, nursery transplantation is largely complete and rice enters the early tillering stage.
Vegetables: Vegetable sowing and transplantation continue across Taiwan during Grain Rain. In central areas, watermelon, cucumber, muskmelon, and other cucurbits remain at the peak of sowing and seedling raising; in the south, ginger and 越瓜 remain in peak transplantation. Tomato harvesting enters its final stage.
Fruit trees: Mangoes in southern Taiwan enter young-fruit development and require attention to fruit retention and mango gall midge control. Lychees also enter the young-fruit stage and require fruit-retention management together with control of fruit borers. Citrus moves from flowering into young-fruit development, and nitrogen applications need to be controlled to prevent excessive summer-shoot growth from interfering with fruit set.
Tea: Spring tea in central and southern tea regions—including Nantou and Chiayi—moves from peak picking toward the end of the harvest around Grain Rain, while northern tea districts such as Wenshan and Sanxia reach peak spring-tea harvesting. Spring is the most important production season in Taiwan’s tea industry, and after Grain Rain the harvest gradually moves toward its close.
Fisheries: Catches in waters around Taiwan continue to increase during Grain Rain. The spring fishing season remains busy, with mackerel, Spanish mackerel, pomfret, and other species continuing to be landed. Coastal fishing vessels go to sea frequently, and catch quality remains good.
Farmer’s proverbs and folk customs: Taiwanese folk tradition preserves the saying “穀雨前，好種棉”—before Grain Rain is the best time to sow cotton—and “穀雨後，好種豆”—after Grain Rain is a good time to sow beans. Grain Rain is also regarded in Taiwan as the symbolic last solar term of spring. A folk custom known as “穀雨補老母” involves married daughters returning to their parental homes during Grain Rain to visit their mothers, expressing filial care and affection.