Abstract
Mechanized planting has the potential to lower costs and increase rice production. To develop this potential benefit for rice producers, we tested the effects of mechanized planting systems on the seedling. Under ratoon cropping, three sowing techniques were used to evaluate the yield and profitability of rice cultivar ‘Jaragua’; young rice shoots (socas) were sown using mechanized sowing, broadcasting swollen seed, or manual transplanting, in a completely randomized design (CRD), with four repetitions. An analysis of variance and separation of means was performed using Duncan’s test at 5% significance. The results indicated significant statistical differences in the yield components, with the greatest contribution being tillering, number of panicles, full grains and percentage of fertility (p=0.1251 and 0.0001), and weight of a thousand grains (p= 0.0001). The yield was higher in the broadcast system (5,675 g/ha (p= 0.0013) than in the transplant system (5,352 kg/ha), but the mechanized method registered superior performance (6,764 kg/ha) over both systems. The greatest profitability occurred in mechanized planting, which generated the highest income with DOP 139,252.14. In times of labor shortages in rice-growing areas, mechanized planting represents a production alternative, reducing costs and a strong dependence on foreign labor.