More than 4,000 rice samples from the Philippines have been stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway to protect the country’s rice genetic diversity from climate and disaster risks.  The deposit includes 4,417 rice seed samples developed and conserved by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), marking the first time in four decades that the Philippine rice seed duplicates have been stored outside its borders. Often […]

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) Midsayap Station in North Cotabato is set to enhance the speed and security of its transactions, enabling faster approvals and improved support for rice farmers and partner agencies in the region through the upcoming use of digital certificates. This follows the recent completion of a Digital Certificate Orientation by selected staff, conducted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region […]

Farmers in Iloilo are reaping the benefits of cutting back on insecticide spraying, reporting significant cost savings and higher rice yields through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program’s (RCEF) Farmer Field School (FFS). Participants shared that by adopting judicious insecticide use, they reduced production expenses by as much as PhP25,000 per cropping season while gaining up to 45 additional sacks per hectare compared to their usual practices. The Department of Agriculture-Philippine […]

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has successfully established 173 out of 180 trial sites nationwide for its Variety Field Trials (VFT), a key step toward selecting improved rice varieties that will be distributed to farmers starting the 2027 wet season. Conducted under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program, the VFT is testing 15 inbred rice varieties across 78 provinces to ensure seeds are suited to […]

Farmers in Barangay Duplas, San Juan, La Union, are gaining ground against destructive rice diseases through practical knowledge and hands-on experience from the PalayCheck Farmer Field School (FFS) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund–Rice Extension Services Program. For farmer-participant Florencio Ancheta, the sudden yellowing and drying of rice leaves raised alarm. Nearly three-fourths of his 1,200-sqm plot had been struck by bacterial leaf blight (BLB), a disease that can reduce […]

A newly refined machine designed for dry-seeded fields is offering farmers a faster and more affordable way to plant rice and other crops. The Hand Tractor-Mounted Multi-Purpose Seeder (MP Seeder), developed by DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), attaches to a regular hand tractor and can plant rice, corn, and mungbean without the need for costly new equipment. Commercialized in 2018, the seeder, nominated by the Institute’s Rice Engineering and Mechanization […]

The Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) highlighted four decades of science-driven rice innovations and partnerships as it convened more than 600 scientists, farmers, youth leaders, policymakers, and development partners during the 37th Ugnay Palay National Rice Research for Development (R4D) Conference in Nueva Ecija. Held under the theme “40 Years of Rice Innovations: Sowing Progress, Harvesting Prosperity,” the conference served as a platform to review PhilRice’s contributions to […]

The Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) is marking its 40th founding anniversary with a strong record in intellectual property (IP) generation, ranking among government institutions with the highest number of granted IP applications. As of 2025, PhilRice holds more than 400 IP assets, including 50 patents, 53 utility models, 12 industrial designs, 10 trademarks, and 284 copyrights, representing four decades of research outputs translated into technologies for farmers, […]

After a week of field and classroom sessions, 26 participants from the National Irrigation Administration Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems II (NIA UPRIIS-II) and Irrigators Association (IAs) officers completed their basic rice production training at DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The training deepened their understanding of rice production through hands-on activities and discussions based on the PalayCheck System—a package of technologies that […]

In a promising development for rice farmers, researchers from the Department of Agriculture–Crop Biotechnology Center (DA-CBC) have successfully used a floral dip-based gene editing technique to boost tungro resistance in NSIC Rc 402, a widely cultivated Indica rice variety. Tungro, a viral disease transmitted by leafhoppers, causes up to 30% crop loss annually—equivalent to 456,000 tons of rough rice—posing a major threat to the country’s rice production and food security. […]