PhilRice Introduces Scientific Technique to Identify Rice Disease

San Mateo, Isabela (PNA) — The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) here has introduced to the stakeholders in the region an effective scientific technique to identify rice disease or virus.

In a training held at Philrice–Isabela, Dr. Emmanuel Tiongco, Philirice research specialist, said the training and workshop aims to demonstrate and enlighten the various rice stakeholders like farmers, researchers and extension workers in managing virus disease such as “Tungro”.

Tiongco said rice farmers used to assess incidence of rice virus disease by visually inspecting symptoms in the plant which usually happen when the disease is already prevalent.

He said that to better help rice farmers in the identification and detection of rice virus diseases, the Philippine Rice Research Institute introduced the detection technique called ‘loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)’ to rice stakeholders in Isabela on February 4, 2016 at PhilRice Isabela station, San Mateo, Isabela.

“Through this application, major rice virus diseases in the plant and insect vectors can be diagnosed in a fast, efficient and accurate method,” Tiongco added.

About 50 participants from PhilRice Isabela, Department of Agriculture–Regional Crop Protection Center (DA-RCPC), National Irrigation Administration–Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-MARIIS), Isabela Provincial Agriculture Office, and Local Government Units (LGUs) of San Mateo, Santiago, Cordon and Cauayan have attended the said training. (PNA) JBP/SCD/MGEDALE