Objective With the improvement of social residents' income levels, the demand of consumers has shifted from "having enough to eat" to "eating well". The increase in non-agricultual income of self-sufficient farmers also puts forward higher requirements for rice quality. In this study, it aims to explore the adoption behavior of high-quality rice varieties by rice farmers.

Method Based on the farmers' behavior theory, the study constructs a theoretical framework to analyze the factors influencing rice farmers' selection of high-quality rice varieties. With survey data collected from rice farmers in Guangdong Province during 2021–2022, Probit model and other analytical methods were employed to analyze the effects of rice management practices, operational scale, and non-farm income on farmers' selection behavior and its heterogeneity.

Result Significant differences exist in the selection behavior of high-quality rice varieties between subsistence-oriented type and profit-oriented type rice farmers, with profit-oriented type farmers being more inclined to adopt high-quality rice varieties. Operational scale and non-farm income significantly influence the selection of high-quality rice varieties for both profit-oriented type and subsistence-oriented type farmers, being significantly positive at the statistical levels of 1% and 5%, respectively, profit-oriented type farmers are primarily influenced by operational scale, while subsistence-oriented type farmers are more driven by non-farm income. The operational scale has a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between management practices and the selection behavior of high-quality rice varieties, which is significant at the 10% statistical level. When farmers' management practices shift from subsistence-oriented type to profit-oriented type, the effect of operational scale on the selection of high-quality rice varieties is significantly enhanced. There is a threshold effect of farm size on the selection of high-quality rice varieties. When the operational scale is less than 0.58 hectares, the management practice significantly affects the variety selection However, when the operational scale exceeds 0.58 hectares, the impact of management practice weakens. The non-farm income has a significant impact on the selection of high-quality rice varieties in both lowincome and high-income groups, but the mechanisms differ: high-income farmers rely more on the expansion of operational scale, while low-income farmers are more influenced by the changes in non-farm income.

Conclusion To increase the selection rate of high-quality rice varieties among rice farmers, first, it is recommended to improve and stabilize the quality of high-quality rice varieties, reduce production costs, and enhance the enthusiasm of large-scale farmers in adopting highquality rice varieties; second, to support the development of high-quality rice brands, highlight the price advantage of highquality rice varieties, and enhance the market competitiveness of these varieties; finally, to strengthen the promotion of highquality rice varieties and planting technologies to improve farmers' awareness and acceptance of high-quality rice varieties.