The Tai Lake Region of China
(also known as the Yangtze Delta Region)
Total area: 35,272 km, 52% in Jiangsu Province, 33% in Zhejiang Province and 15% in Shanghai (Gong, 1988).
Climate: Humid subtropical monsoon region, 1100-1400 mm annual precipitation, annual mean temperature ~16C, 290 day growing season.
Terrain: about 75% plains and 25% hills and low mountains.
Principle crops:
Japonica rice (Oryza sativa) grown in a rice/wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system. Also important: Rapeseed (Brassica napus), Mulberry (Morus alba; as feed for silkworms), Soybean (Glycine max), Bok Choy (Brassica chinensis),
Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus sinicus; as green manure).
Region Development timeline
Long Term Rice Yields