PhilRice Recommends Rice Varieties for Rainy Season

Planting early-maturing and high-quality rice varieties is vital for the rainy days.

Dr. Norvie Manigbas, head of PhilRice’s Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division, said that after the onslaught of drought, the next challenge is to select the varieties suited for the rainy days.

Farmers are advised to plant varieties, which stand at most 100 cm with strong stems that can withstand 40-60 kph wind speed.

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

“There are also varieties released in 2011, which are good for dry conditions or for areas that normally experience delayed or almost no rainfall.

These Sahod Ulan varieties are NSIC Rc272, NSIC Rc274, NSIC Rc278, NSIC Rc284, NSIC Rc286, NSIC Rc288, NSIC Rc346, and NSIC Rc348,” Manigbas said.

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. These varieties can recover when submerged during vegetative stage.

Additionally, PhilRice also emphasizes reduction of fertilizer application rates.

“While fertilizers are beneficial for 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% in wet season,” Manigbas explained.

For more information on rice varieties for wet season, please contact the PhilRice Text Center at 0920-911-1398. (DA-PhilRice)