PhilRice Asks Farmers to Prepare for Rains Thru Use of Appropriate Rice Varieties, Technologies

Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija — After the onslaught of El Niño, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) experts have advised farmers to prepare for the rainy season by using appropriate varieties and technologies in rice farming.

Dr. Norvie Manigbas, head of PhilRice’s Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division, said farmers should plant varieties which stand at most 100 cm and with strong stems that can withstand 40-60 kph wind speed.

Some of these varieties are PSB Rc14, Rc68, NSIC Rc9, and Rc222.

“Rainfed areas are also prone to flooding. The varieties suited for this condition are PSB Rc18 (Ala), which can withstand 5-7 days of complete submergence, NSIC Rc194 (Submarino 1), which can survive, grow, and develop even after 10-14 days of complete submergence, and PSB Rc68 (Sacobia), a submergence-tolerant and a drought-resistant variety,” Manigbas said.

“These varieties have the following maximum yield: 8.1 t/ha (RC18); 3.5 t/ha (Rc194); 4.4 t/ha (Rc68); 6.1 t/ha (Rc14); and 10 t/ha (Rc222). They can also recover when submerged during vegetative stage. These are the maximum yields that the farmers could get under stressed conditions,” he also said.

The PhilRice also emphasized reduction of fertilizer application rates.

Manigbas reminded that while fertilizers are beneficial to plants, in high amounts, they may cause lodging.

“Fertilizers cannot be maximized, as there is a limited amount of sunlight during the rainy season. Depending on soil analysis results and recommended nutrient requirement rates, it is better to reduce fertilizer application rates by 20-30 percent in wet season,” he said.

Manigbas also encouraged farmers to practice synchronous planting in their communities.

“It reduces incidence of pests and diseases in a specific area, thus, minimizing yield loss,” he said.

The PhilRice expert also said that dry land preparation is also important so that farmers can do direct-seeding when the rain comes.

With this technique, he said the seeds will start to germinate within five days.

Manigbas explained that under irrigated lowland conditions, land preparation should be done at the onset of heavy rains so that fields are well-soaked in water.

He said that levees and dikes should be repaired to avoid water loss.

The PhilRice also suggested proper drainage to avoid flooding, use of machines during land preparation, harvesting, threshing, and drying to save time and labor.

“Time is vital during the wet season especially during harvest. As the rain usually comes in the afternoon, we suggest the use of combine harvester to hasten harvesting operations. If it is unavailable, farmers can use reaper and collect the straws for threshing,” Manigbas added. (PNA) LAP/ZST/MEG/PS