Irrigators` association adopts PhilRice technology

North Cotabato farmers are now practicing synchronous planting after they tried a water-saving technology promoted by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the country’s lead agency in rice science and development.

Engr. Flora Mae D. Respicio, principal engineer of M’lang/Malasila River Irrigation Systems (MLARIS), said controlled irrigation, a practical technique on saving irrigation water without decreasing yield, enabled farmers to share water supply with rice tillers owning farms in downstream.

In controlled irrigation, observation wells are used to monitor the status of water to help farmers determine the appropriate amount of water and timing of irrigation. Meanwhile, synchronous planting within one month is recommended to avoid the overlapping occurrence of pests and diseases.

“We used to implement 3-4-days irrigation interval but it caused conflicts among farmers because the water supply only reaches the mid-streams resulting in late planting or no planting in downstream. From this schedule, we shifted to 7-days irrigation interval,” she said in a field day recently conducted by PhilRice station based in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Respicio said LIDANAMA Irrigators` Association members initially had apprehensions following the new schedule as they are used to seeing their fields immersed with water.

“Through controlled irrigation, farmers are confident that nothing will happen to their rice plants after seven days of no water release. Now, the 1,660 ha of LIDANAMA Irrigators` Association were planted synchronously based on 2012 dry season cropping calendar,” she said.

About 175 rice farmers in the seven irrigators’ association covered by MLARIS had adopted controlled irrigation. With its adoption, Respicio said the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Region 12 will form core trainers who will implement the technology in a wider scale.

Philippines` Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Country Outreach Program funds the project in collaboration with PhilRice and NIA.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 511/512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also text your questions to 0920-911-1398.

Agrarian reform beneficiaries prime up for mechanized farming

Farmer-leaders of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) project in Region III are getting ready for a grant turn-over through training facilitated by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, March 14-16.

The training, a component of Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) program, equips the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Central Luzon with skills needed in the safe operation of farm implements, which the Department will soon distribute in the area.

Ming Ocampo, DAR training coordinator, said farmers will receive, among others such as tractor, harvester, and thresher, to help solve labor scarcity during peak operations and ensure the quality of rice harvests.

DAR’s banner program also aims to increase ARBs’ income, farm productivity, and crop value through farm service facilities

Aside from training farmer-leaders on safe farm machine operations and maintenance, PalayCheck system, an integrated farming system that uses cost-effective technologies, was also be promoted to the farmers.

Lea dR. Abaoag, division head of PhilRice Technology Management and Services Division, said “dissemination of rice information and cost-effective technologies is hoped to be accelerated through the farmer networks that ARCCESS will create.”

Through an agreement with DAR, PhilRice will also provide technical skills to farmer-leaders and open access to rice information and decision support tools through PhilRice’s Text Center and Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 511/512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also text your questions to 0920-911-1398.

PhilRice researchers upgrade skills on precision farming tools

Development of location-specific technologies could now be made easier and more accurate with the application of a software program consisting of crop simulation models on rice science and technology. The software was presented to about 40 researchers of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in a three-day training held at the Institute’s Central Experiment Station, Feb27-29.

To be proposed as component of PhilRice projects, Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) “integrates the effects of soil, crop phenotype or traits, weather, and management options on crop yield and allows software users to ask ‘what if’ questions by conducting virtual simulation experiments on a computer in minutes.”

 “With this agri-tool, we can simulate how specific varieties will perform under different environmental conditions. We can accurately identify technologies that need to be developed and can provide recommendations for farmers to achieve the maximum potential of their land,” said Dr. Nenita V. Desamero, training organizer and program leader of PhilRice’s Developing Technologies to Break the Low Rice Yield Barriers in Rainfed, Upland, and other Adverse Environments (BYB) program.

Dr. Orlando Balderama, training facilitator and an expert on crop simulation modeling from Isabela State University said that by simply calibrating the parameters like soil, climate, and farm inputs, appropriate crop management strategies and expected yield performance can be easily projected.

Balderama said DSSAT’s simulation features make it a perfect tool for the realization of smart and precision farming in Philippine agriculture. Other than the researchers, he said that when trained, farmers could also use DSSAT in improving their farming practices.

Meanwhile, PhilRice researchers Elmer Alosnos and Glenn de Peralta added that the software program is useful and relevant for rice specialists working on the development of recommended practices on climate change adaptation and nutrient management.

The three-day training was an initiative of PhilRice station in Batac, Ilocos Norte through Dr. Reynaldo Castro and Juanito Maloom and the Office of the executive Director for Development as support to BYB and Developing Technologies to Surpass the Dry Season Irrigated Lowland Rice Yield Plateau programs.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 511/512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also text your questions to 0920-911-1398.

Expert alerts farmers on rat damage

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija - Crop specialist based at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in this city urges farmers to intensify rat control in areas where crops are nearing the booting stage.

Leonardo V. Marquez of PhilRice Crop Protection Division (CPD) said farmers should start inspecting breeding grounds of rats as the female long-tailed rodents usually get pregnant in March.

“Rat population starts to increase at booting stage because rats will have something to feed on, which favors breeding,” Marquez said. With enough food and water, a pair of rats and their offspring can produce more than 500 puppies.

According to Marquez, rat control requires proper timing and must be controlled during low populations or before rice enters the reproductive stage to reduce their damage in later stages.

At PhilRice’ Central Experiment Station, researchers and laborers track rats on creeks, irrigation canals, and ducts for about two hours starting at around 7 a.m. With sacks or fish nets, bamboo rods, and pails, PhilRice labor staff usually caught more than 80 rats in 90 ha.

Marquez said that rats usually hide and reproduce in burrows, then go out from their holes when rice plants are in reproductive stage. A tip in controlling rats in burrows, Marquez said, is to fill up the burrows with mixed soil and water so the whole burrow is shut when the mud dries up.

Marquez also recommended for a year-round community-wide rat control, field sanitization, and proper water management to reduce rat populations.

Marquez stressed that community-wide rat control conducted bi-monthly is important as rats are very mobile and difficult to catch. He also said that fields must be free from weeds and dikes must be kept narrow.

“Water depths of irrigation water must also be maintained at 3-5 cm depth to discourage rats from cutting and chewing the tillers,” he said.

PhilRice rat control activities are being led by CPD and are conducted four times a month after crop establishment every season.

DA-PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled corporation that aims at developing high-yielding, cost-reducing, and environment-friendly technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.

For more information, please visit or contact DA-PhilRice at Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija with telephone number (044) 456-0285 loc 511/512 or any PhilRice station near you. You may also text your questions to 0920-911-1398.

Rice being fortified for healthier Filipinos

Plant breeders at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the country’s lead in rice research and development, are developing micronutrient-rich varieties to help lessen hidden hunger, the country’s leading nutritional problem.

During the recent 7th National Biotechnology Week, Dr. Antonio A. Alfonso, director of the Crop Biotechnology Center of the Department of Agriculture, said that rice fortified with iron, zinc, and beta carotene are in the pipeline to help reduce the mortality and morbidity rates caused by micronutrient deficiencies. 

“We have replicated field trials of iron and zinc-rich rice in the experimental fields of PhilRice and in the International Rice Research Institute. With biofortification, we expect that our staple food will soon contain 50-80 percent more of iron and zinc,” the 2008 Outstanding Young Scientist said.

Alfonso said biofortification or the method of breeding crops to increase their nutritional value is a sustainable and effective way of fighting hidden hunger as it facilitates easy and fast access to better nutrition.

“Access is crucial in reducing micronutrient deficiency because it has no visible signs, making the ‘sufferer’ unaware of his condition. Because rice is a daily main component of our diet, more people especially in the rural areas, will have immediate and cheaper source of these micronutrients,” he explained.

Alfonso noted that 1.7 million Filipino children, mostly in the remote areas, suffer from vitamin A deficiency while 1 in every 10 pregnant women lacks vitamin A. Globally, Alfonso said vitamin A deficiency causes the death of 670,000 children every year while 350,000 suffer from blindness.

“These health conditions, especially of children, drive us to improve our rice varieties so they could contain the Golden Rice trait, or the ability of rice to produce high amount of beta-carotene in its grain. Let’s note that the body only converts beta-carotene into vitamin A only when needed,” he stressed.

In developing the beta-carotene-rich rice, Alfonso stressed that the variety is also being evaluated to ensure that it will be safe for health and to the environment. 

“Golden Rice will only be available to the market if studies would prove its effectiveness in improving the vitamin A status of the consumers. Safety and efficacy are the main requirements for this new type of rice to be released,” he said.

Should Golden Rice be released, the plant breeder said that its seeds could be repeatedly used by farmers and its cost will be similar to other rice varieties as the technology had been donated for public good. He also added that Golden Rice will be cultivated just like the popular and ordinary rice being grown by the farmers.(PhilRice)