The research paper titled Plant disease suppression by a plant-symbiotic endophytic fungus (Epichloë festucae) depends on its ability to produce an antifungal compound has identified a gene responsible for an endophyte’s plant host disease resistance-enhancing ability.  “Endophytes are either bacteria or fungi, which spend the whole or part of their life cycle inside a healthy host plant. Unlike pathogens, they don’t cause apparent symptoms of disease; some of them can […]

The members of the National Cooperative Test (NCT) approved more than 20 inbred and hybrid varieties in 2014 developed by public and private rice breeding institutions. According to PhilRice plant breeder Dr. Oliver Manangkil, among the newly-released varieties, 1 hybrid (Mestiso 55) and 2 inbreds (Tubigan 28 and Tubigan 30) were developed by PhilRice. NSIC Rc354 or Tubigan 28 is an early-maturing variety (112 days) with higher resistance to common […]

To identify appropriate varieties with wider or location-specific adaptation, the project titled Accelerating the development and adoption of next-generation (Next Gen) rice varieties for major ecosystem in the Philippines conducted the initial participatory varietal selection (PVS) in selected sites across 16 regions of the country. PVS entries were composed of new varieties developed under the DA’s Rice Self-sufficiency Program implemented in 2009 to 2013 and serving as start-up materials in […]

Continuing its objective of enabling the next generation of rice extensionists, Project IPaD welcomed participants from Visayas and Mindanao to its second batch of training program titled “Enabling the AgRiDOC: a new breed of rice extensionists.”   The Improving Technology Promotion and Delivery through Capability Enhancement of the Next Generation of Rice Extension Professionals and Intermediaries or IPaD is one of the seven projects under the flagship of the DA’s […]

To mitigate the impacts of climate change on rice production and food security, the Department of Agriculture (DA)-PhilRice and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are developing varieties that could withstand multiple biotic and abiotic stresses.  The collaborative project titled, ‘Accelerating the development and adoption of next-generation (NextGen) rice varieties for major ecosystems in the Philippines’ aims to fast-track  the introduction and adoption of higher yielding inbred and hybrid rice […]

Bicolano farmers may further benefit from PhilRice’s research and development work as it constructs new facilities to address their problems on rice production. The 378-sqm laboratory and training building at PhilRice Bicol, Ligao, Albay, will showcase climate change-ready farming technologies and will be used for seed production. “Aside from climate-smart farming technologies, this facility will also focus on seed production to cater the needs of our farmers and seed growers […]

With the urgency of the rice pests issue in North Cotabato, PhilRice Midsayap conducted a forum on 2 June to tackle strategies the farmers can employ so they can still get decent yields amid prevalence of persistent pests. “During our farmers’ field day in April, we found that the rice fields were affected by ‘weedy rice’ – an emerging problem in the locality – and many farmers didn’t know how […]

Recognizing that high-quality seeds are among the key secrets in getting optimum rice yield, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) distributed 100 bags of registered seeds among 30 farmer-members of the Guiset Organic Farmers’ Credit Cooperative in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, 27 May. Varieties distributed were PSB Rc18 and NSIC Rc222. Each of the bags given weighed 40 kg. PSB Rc18 is known for its resistance to adverse environment (drought and […]

Access to farming information is now taking a new trend as modern technology plays pivotal roles in reaching Filipino farmers. According to Dr. Ronan G. Zagado, development communicator at PhilRice, use of short message service (SMS) allows an alternate and easier route for farmers in obtaining agricultural information. Zagado explained that aside from being a social communication medium, SMS is also used massively in agriculture. “The PhilRice Text Center (PTC) […]

Comprising about 19% of the total labor cost in rice production, there, indeed, is a pressing need to look for new ways of doing land preparation.  The Reduced Tillage Technology (RTT) is an alternative system of land preparation for irrigated areas where plowing is not applied. Rice stubbles, weeds, and the scattered rice straws are pressed two to three times using the hand tractor’s paddy wheels attached with riding-type leveler […]