While pharmaceutical drugs are taken in when common illnesses strike, indigenous knowledge in three provinces comprised traditional rice varieties (TRV) as home remedies. In the “Ethnoguided Survey and Collection of Philippine Medicinal Traditional Rice Varieties,” 18 rice varieties were identified as medicinal in Palawan, North Cotabato, and Zamboanga del Norte. Across three sites, TRVs are used to treat fever, cough, measles, stomach ache, and diarrhea. Floper Gershwin Manuel, research lead, […]

Rice farmers in Buenavista, Quezon had experienced more harvest with public hybrid Mestiso 20 (M20), some of them even calling it “miracle seed.” “In my 16 years of farming, this is my first time to harvest this big! Before, I’m happy with 120 cavans. But when I switched to planting hybrid seeds like M20, amazingly, I harvested 178 cavans per hectare this season,” farmer Michael Delos Santos said. With the […]

Bountiful harvest starts from good seeds. However, potentials of rice seeds are not optimized owing to misconceptions. Here are the top misunderstandings about rice seeds and a version of truth: Misconception #1: All rice varieties are suitable everywhere. There are over 300 inbred and hybrid Philippine rice varieties bred based on certain conditions. Their suitability depends on environment, planting season, and field conditions. Each variety is unique as it is […]

Farmers always aim for bountiful harvest. To attain this, some farmers overfeed the rice crop with nutrients; a huge mistake they often make. A PhilRice study in Agusan del Norte, where rice fields are supposed to be mineral-rich, showed that deficiency is possible despite the presence of nutrients in the soil.  Thus, farmers should only apply needed fertilizers to avoid complications from other nutrients. Understanding soil properties Considered under the […]

Multi-purpose seeder for Abra farmers. PhilRice Batac promotes the use of multi-purpose seeder through a technology generation and verification trial in Pidigan, Abra. Multi-purpose seeder reduces  crop establishment cost and seeding rate as its performance is more accurate than manual broadcasting. عاوز لعبه العربيات University of the Philippines-Los Baños, local government unit of Pidigan, and Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Abra tie up for this project.     Brigada […]

Filipinos love entertainment; noted in the world for singing and joking even when faced with adversaries. As the country fulfills its commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Philippine Rice Research Institute stirred awareness on Rice Tariffication Law (RA 11203) through theater play. In an attempt to create conversation with farmers during its recent Lakbay Palay, it stimulated not only the emotions but also the natural curiosity of a typical […]

In Region II, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in San Mateo, Isabela banks on radio to reach farmers in rural areas, which the station uses to relay updated agricultural information to increase farmers’ productivity and profitability. Based on a PhilRice study, radio is included in the farmers’ top three sources of agricultural information next to local government units and fellow farmers. For six years, PhilRice Isabela sustains its School-On-the-Air […]

Glyza’s classmates, also TecVoc students in Baluan National Highschool, show off their school’s very own version of a rice hull carbonizer. Glyza Bandiola, 18, loves planting and farming ever since she was a kid.  But is this enough to sustain this interest? The youth from General Santos said that her teachers in school inspire her to take a career in agriculture. “[Our teachers’] passion is very evident in the way […]

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, […]