A field experiment was conducted at the Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to study the effects of soil management practices on water use and rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield in an aquic brown soil during 2001 and 2002. A completely random experimental design with three replications was employed, having four soil management practices as treatments, namely: an undisturbed plow layer (CK), a thin plastic film (TN), a thick plastic film (TI) and subsoil compacting (CP). Results indicated no significant differences among all treatments for rice biomass and grain yields. Also, water consumption was about the same for treatments TN and CK, however the treatments TI and CP were much lower with more than 45% and 40% of the irrigation water in the treatments TI and CP, respectively, saved each year compared to CK. Therefore, water use efficiency was higher in the treatments TI and CP. These results will provide a scientific basis for the water-saving rice cultivation. A field experiment was conducted at the Shenyang Experimental Station of Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to study the effects of soil management practices on water use and rice (Oryza sativa L.) in an aquatic brown soil during 2001 and 2002. A completely random experimental design with three replications was employed, namely: an undisturbed plow layer (CK), a thin plastic film (TN), a thick plastic film (TI) and subsoil compacting indicated no significant differences among all treatments for rice biomass and grain yields. Also, water consumption was about the same for for TN and CK, however the treatments TI and CP were much lower with more than 45% and 40% of the irrigation water in the treatments TI and CP, respectively, saved each year compared to CK. These, water use efficiency was higher in the treatments TI and CP. These results will provide a scientific basis for the water-saving rice cultivars tion.