Earthworms are more than just inhabitants of the ground. In rice fields, their abundance and behavior can tell if a soil is healthy or polluted. A recent PhilRice study showed that the response of a certain species of earthworm can reveal possible chemical contamination of irrigated rice areas due to excessive and continued butachlor herbicide application. Butachlor is an active ingredient of herbicides, commonly used by farmers to control weeds […]

Bountiful harvest starts with the right seeds. This is why farmers like Ricardo Martinez, 59, of Bacolor, Pampanga is sometimes overwhelmed with the choices that he has to take before planting time. For which is just the fitting variety to plant among the more than 300 rice varieties approved by the National Seed Industry Council (then Philippine Seed Board) since 1977? Choose right With almost 30 years of farming experience, […]

“The trick: if the soil is saturated and golden apple snails (GAS) cannot swim, then they cannot damage the rice.” This is how Leonardo V. Marquez, expert from PhilRice Crop Protection Division,  simplified the results of their 2017 study that showed controlled irrigation as the most practical and effective management strategy against GAS infestation. Results show that for transplanted and direct-seeded rice, saturated field condition treatment yielded higher or comparable […]

Despite differences in farm wage, female workers persevere, that just in Central Luzon, there’s a female for every two male farmers. With the involvement of women in agriculture, PhilRice has come up with gender-friendly machines.

Farmers often get excited come harvest time. Unfortunately, some overlook that postproduction practices are as important as growing rice. A 2010 study by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization shows that 16.47% of rice is lost on postproduction. When saved, experts said, the losses could have covered the amount of rice imported annually. Dealing with rice the right way 1. Harvest at the right time As rice varieties […]

April is special for the Philippine rice industry because it was proclaimed as the Panagyaman Festival Month, the national celebration of bountiful harvest. Such festive events could be very enticing to attend because of extravagance, colorful food, and the opportunity for income-generating activities. Amidst merriments, the Philippine festivals are more than what meets the eye. Here are some symbols and their meanings embedded in selected Philippine agricultural festivals such as […]

Summer is one of the best times that we can fuel our children’s dreams. A PhilRice visit may give them a kick-start in knowing more about their passion and what they want to achieve.

A global trend is threatening food security.  Many of the young people are evidently leaving rural areas to pursue non-agricultural careers in urban districts. In the Philippines, a team from Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) finds a way to help engage the Filipino youth in agriculture. Dubbed as “Infomediary Campaign,” the campaign worked with the Department of Education (DepEd) to encourage the youth to explore the farming sector and to […]

Makahiya (Mimosa pudica) and Lantana (Lantana camara), medicinal plants known to treat common diseases in humans, were also found to be beneficial to rice plants, recent study showed. In a research, Nueva Ecija High School student Lena Nagaosa with her adviser Jerandel Gaspar and PhilRice researchers Ma. Salome Duca and Dindo King Donayre, gathered that said perennial weed and flowering plant can fight bacterial leaf blight (BLB) in rice. BLB […]