The mechanical properties of stalks of water chestnut at the stage of transplanting were studied to provide a theoretical basis for the mechanization of transplanting.Experiments of radial compression，shearing，and bending on the stalks of Hubei water chestnut No.1 and Dahongpao water chestnut from Tuanfeng County，Huanggang City，Hubei Province，China，were carried out with TMS-PRO textrometer.The results showed that the capacity of radial bearing in the stalks increased from the top to the bottom，with the average value of the lower part ranged from 4.0 N to 4.1 N.The longer the shelving time （within 4 hours），the lower the content of moisture in the stalks and the smaller the capacity of radial bearing.The effect of loading rate on the capacity of radial bearing was not significant.The lower part of the stalks had the highest force of shearing，with an average of 120 N to 165 N and a strength of shearing about 6 MPa.The effect of a 4-hour resting time on force of shearing was not significant.The upper part of the stalk had the smallest stiffness of bending，with an average between 1.4×10^-3 N·m² and 1.6×10^-3 N·m²，the middle part had the largest bending modulus of elasticity，with an average between 290 MPa and 405 MPa，and the lower part had the largest cross-sectional moment of inertia，with an average between 33 mm⁴ and 35 mm⁴，and the force of the lower part was significantly higher than that of the upper and middle parts，with an average of the maximum load less than 2 N.It will provide a basis for the design of the machine tools for cutting，handling and transplanting of seedlings.