For the scientific selection of rice varieties suitable for the rice-wheat double cropping system, the effects of sowing date on the annual yield, growth period and utilization of temperature and light resources of rice-wheat double cropping system in the plain area along the Yangtze River of Anhui Province were studied. The results showed that the effects of sowing date on the yield of different types of rice was late-maturing medium indica rice>medium-maturing medium japonica rice>early-maturing late japonica rice>late-maturing medium japonica rice >mid-maturing late japonica rice. The yield of late-maturing medium indica rice, early-maturing late japonica rice and mid-maturing late japonica rice all decreased significantly with the postponement of the sowing date, and the sowing date had no obvious effect on the yield of mid-maturing medium japonica rice and late-maturing medium japonica rice. The annual yield of different types of rice varieties and spring wheat at suitable sowing time was as follows: “late-maturing medium indica rice-spring wheat” > “mid-maturing late japonica rice -spring wheat” > “late-maturing medium indica rice-spring wheat” > “early-maturing late japonica rice -spring wheat” > “medium-maturing medium japonica rice-spring wheat”. Among the different rice-wheat double cropping models, the annual temperature and light utilization efficiency of the “ late-maturing medium indica rice sown before May 20-spring wheat” model was the highest, compared with the“early-maturing late japonica sown before June 9th -spring wheat” model, the annual temperature and light production efficiency is increased by more than 16.26%, and the annual light energy utilization efficiency is increased by more than 18.06%.