Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar led the inauguration of the state-of-the-art Crop Biotechnology Center (CBC) of the Department of Agriculture that will develop various plant products to help ensure food security and enhance the competitiveness of Philippine agriculture, Sept. 30. The facility — located in the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) complex, in the Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija — will also help attain the “Sustainable Development Goal No. […]

Leopoldo Lopango, a rice farmer in Milagros, Masbate, woke up earlier than usual at 3 am; awakened by the rains pouring hard on their tin roof. He was grateful for the rains and for the graduation ceremonies of the RCEF – Farmer Field School (FFS) held on Sept. 4. “The leaves of my palay, already in the maximum tillering stage, are turning yellowish green and in need of fertilizer. But […]

With the increasing reports of brown planthopper (BPH) cases, an expert from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) urges farmers to check first the insect population before implementing control measures. BPH is a small brown insect found mainly on the base of rice plants above the water level. Adults and nymphs suck the plant sap from leaf sheaths, causing yellowing of lower and then upper leaves. Whole areas […]

Farmers in remote areas in Isabela and Abra are now producing their own high-quality seeds based on their learning from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program. “We used to struggle in acquiring seeds, and we cannot attain our [desired] yield from exchange seeds. Through this learning activity, we are not only farmers but also seed growers of high-quality seeds that can be easily accessed in our locality,” farmer Saldy […]

The public sector is ensuring enough supply of rice seeds amidst pandemic through a series of training conducted in hybrid rice-producing regions. Dr. Fidel M. Ramos, senior science research specialist of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in Isabela, said the activities complement the DA’s Hybrid Rice Program. Currently, four batches with 150 seed growers are trained in Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, and Kalinga from June to October […]

Farm machines developed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) are now more accessible with the signing of licensing agreement with an Isabela-based fabrication shop, Sept. 21. In the non-exclusive license agreement, ACT Machineries and Metal Craft Corporation will manufacture and commercialize the handtractor-drawn multipurpose seeder (MPS) and ride-on buoyant tiller. MPS is used for dryland seeding of rice, corn, and mungbean. Through MPS, farmers can finish planting […]

A mutation gene that may help rice plants survive despite adverse conditions has been identified by a balik scientist fellow hosted by DA-PhilRice. Dr. Nonawin Lucob-Agustin, together with other researchers from Nagoya University in Japan, discovered the wavy root elongation growth 1 (weg1) gene, which may help rice cope with drought especially in rainfed lowlands where water is scarce. The scientist explained that the gene was identified from mutants of […]

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) and Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon recently agreed to continue collaborating for better rice research for development (R4D) programs. Working together since 2001, the parties recently renewed their partnership on developing and promoting rice and rice-based technologies until 2033.  Under the new 13-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), DA-PhilRice and CMU will continue collaborating on producing high-quality rice seeds and implementing […]

Fifty RICs were launched in farm schools and organizations in Region 2 and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) during the first semester of the year. Under the Rice Development Initiatives for Cagayan Valley and CAR Environments project, over 1,000 copies of magazines, handouts, and booklets were delivered to beneficiaries. The handouts are expected to help trainees in farm schools increase their knowledge on modern technology and innovative farming methods.   Project beneficiaries […]

Intercropping Azolla with rice can help lessen farmers’ fertilizer expenses in rice production in irrigated areas, a research by the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) showed. Azolla, a fern that thrives in freshwater, maintains a symbiotic relationship with the blue-green algae, Anabaena azollae. The algae provide nitrogen (N) to the fern and the fern provides a habitat for the algae. This symbiosis allows the conversion of nitrogen into ammonia, which can […]