Harvest is fast approaching. At last, Mang Juan will be reaping the reward of more than three months of caring for his rice plants. He’s not only excited for harvest, but also for the rice straw, locally known as dayami, that he will get. This will give him more income as fertilizer and as growing medium for his mushrooms. Evelyn F. Javier, supervising science research specialist of Agronomy, Soil, and […]

We always get excited for new stuff; however, if it’s a new pest, we worry as it can reduce  37% of rice yield and sometimes, more. This is why PhilRice researchers are studying the characteristics and management of the rice grain bug (RGB), an emerging pest of rice. Getting to know RGB RGB (Paraeucosmetus pallicornis Dallas), also known as seed bug, was originally a legume pest. It was first observed […]

Writer. Information technology practitioner. Systems developer. Administrator. Smart farm manager. Not five people but one. For over 30 years, Pagasa Awardee Roger F. Barroga has calibrated himself across disciplines. Sir Roger, as he is called at work, is one of PhilRice’s pioneer staff having joined the Institute while its main operations were still in Los Baños, Laguna. A call for service Hailing from Luna, Apayao, Sir Roger’s parents were in […]

As they say, prevention is better than cure. Researchers at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are studying the impact of the emergence of the world’s worst weed in irrigated lowland rice production. Cyperus rotundus L. or purple nutsedge also locally called as mutha, sudsud, and barsanga, which is previously known to grow only in the upland, is now quite prevalent in the lowland. As mutha is considered the worst weed […]

Early in 2015 the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Service Administration officially announced the onslaught of El Niño in the Philippines that caused drastic decline in crop production. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that rice and corn alone respectively fell by 818,000 and 251,800 mt that year compared in 2014. Losses were also recorded in sugarcane, coffee, tobacco, onion, cabbage, and rubber. It was one of the strongest […]

Two PhilRice cookbooks were recognized among the best cookbooks in the world in the 2018 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards held in Yantai, China, May 26-27. The Mushroom Feast: A Collection of Filipino Mushroom Recipes, which features commonly cultivated mushrooms on rice-based farms in the Philippines, won 2nd place in the Truffles and Mushrooms category along with entries from France (1st place) and Sweden (3rd place). The cookbook was edited by […]

  The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) will soon release a first of its kind, locally made two-in-one machine that can be used for land preparation and crop establishment. What’s the difference? Dr. Arnold S. Juliano, head of PhilRice Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division, said that the power tiller is a multi-purpose machine that can be used as a rotavator, transplanter, seeder, and a multi-seeder for those involved in multi-cropping. […]

An analysis tool called the Rice Integrative Genomics Workbench in Galaxy (RIGby) will be released soon to hasten breeding of stress-tolerant rice varieties. A ‘swiss knife’ of tools for bioinformatics, Dr. Reynante L. Ordonio, a PhilRice biotechnology expert, said RIGBy will help generate genomic data needed in developing new rice varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases and can withstand drought, flood, low temperature, and salinity. Ordonio argues that […]

The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 5 (DA-RFO 5) turned over its funded seed warehouse to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Ligao City, Bicol on March 27, 2018. Dr. Victoria C. Lapitan, PhilRice Bicol branch director said that the facility will help the station produce high-quality seeds and to make them fully available for the rice farmers. ”The use of quality seeds is necessary to ensure high productivity […]