Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – Superior rice varieties from the public breeding sector can be expected soon with the completion of a Genetic Resources Laboratory and Genebank housed at the Central Experiment Station of Philippine Rice Research Institute. Worth P23 million, the newly inaugurated facility houses more than 5000 Philippine traditional rice varieties and more than 16000 germplasm collections, which will provide the genes needed in breeding new […]

  Farmers participate in Hybrid Rice Derby. More than 200 rice farmers, researchers, agricultural technicians, and local officials participated in the Hybrid Rice Derby: Provincial Techno Forum and Harvest Festival in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur on February 1. One of the 18 hybrid rice varieties showcased is Mestiso 20, a public hybrid rice that yields 6.4-11.7t/ha and matures in 111 days.

Sen. Cynthia Villar expressed confidence that government institutions will effectively implement the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund or RICE fund once the tariffication bill is passed into law. “Kailangang magtiwala sa kanila dahil kung hindi, walang mangyayari (We need to trust them for the programs to work),” Villar told media in a graduation ceremony of the trainees on quality inbred rice seeds production and farm mechanization late last year. A government’s […]

Head of the country’s lead agency on rice research for development rallies workers to support the upcoming Rice Tariffication Act or currently the Senate Bill 1998, which aims to replace import restrictions on rice with tariffs. Dr. Sailila E. Abdula, acting executive director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), urged in his statement early this month that cost-effective technologies should be further generated for the farmers to survive the possible influx […]

  The rice hull protects the rice grain, but at the end of its “life,” it is usually dumped or burned after milling, left as agricultural waste. This destiny of the rice hull is changed through artists’ creativity. In a new exhibit titled “In Progress of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)” in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, rice hulls and their carbonized form are used as medium in […]

Rice plants applied with biofertilizers composed of four bacteria are healthier than those fertilized with other forms as shown in a recent study conducted by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). Mac Michael Rubio, one of the researchers, said four strains of rhizobacteria were found to enhance rice growth. The strains were identified and selected using a molecular technique while soil samples were collected from major irrigated lowland rice fields in […]

Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija – About 40 media practitioners from Central Luzon convened at the PhilRice Central Experiment Station based in this city to learn the latest information on the healthier rice project, January 9. PhilRice Development Communication (DevCom) Division, in coordination with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), organized the “Media Dialogue: Making Rice Healthier” to enlighten the media about the nutrition situation in the country and […]

Farmers with insufficient water supply are advised to adopt early-maturing varieties or with maturity days less than 110 this coming dry season. According to Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)’s in-house agriculturist and Text Center lead agent Fredierick M. Saludez, early-maturing varieties require lesser water, as they can mature faster than other inbred varieties. “A rice crop that matures in 100 days will require approximately 1000mm of water while a crop […]

Three-farmer organizations in Negros Occidental reached roughly a thousand stakeholders through the brown rice agroenterprise day and feeding program in November. These farmer-organizations are RiceBIS Negros Agrarian Reform Cooperative (RiceBIS NARCO), Sitio Timawa Farming Association (STOFA), and Tison-Aida Farmers Association (TAFA). Over 800 students participated in the feeding program conducted by RiceBIS NARCO on November 15 in Cansilayan Elementary School in Murcia, Negros Occidental, while over 200 participants were involved […]

Farmers in Isabela, one of the country’s top rice producer, are reaping the benefits of practicing direct seeding, a crop establishment method, in which pre-germinated seeds are sown directly onto the soil surface. Helen Pasicolan, lead of the direct-seeded rice technology promotion at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in San Mateo, Isabela said that farmers in their demonstration sites gained high yield and reduced their production cost through direct-seeding using […]