A new growing technique has helped peasants in southwest China increase rice output by transplanting seedlings ahead of time.

Liang Zhenqi, a rice farmer in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, benefited from the technique in 2004, with the total rice output of 7,125 kg per hectare, a six percent increase over 2003.

"These seeds were spread in early February and can be transplanted several days later," Liang said, pointing to the plastic shelters for his grown seedlings.

Normally, peasants transplanted rice seedlings in late March as the weather warmed up. Now with the technique invented by the local agricultural research station, seedlings mature half month earlier than normal.

To use the technique, peasants plow their land when it's relatively warm in winter, spread the seeds and then cover them with plastic sheets to create a suitable environment for their growth, said Wang Yuansheng, vice director with Agriculture Bureau of Xiangzhou County.

Thus they can transplant the mature seedlings in time when it just turns warm in spring, saving the time of seeds cultivation, Wang added.