ABOUT THE COVER ®

El Niño struck again lately, robbing many farmers. In this issue,

we feature how rice farmers survived the drought spell and the
Volume 23 No. 2
technologies that help contain El Niño effects. By learning from April-June 2010
other farmers’ experiences and knowing the available technolo- Website: www.philrice.gov.ph
gies such as controlled irrigation and tolerant varieties, farmers Farmers’ Text Center: 0920-911-1398
will be more ready when the phenomenon recurs.
Consulting Editors
CONSTANTE T. BRIONES
ANSELMO A. ROQUE

Managing Editor

CONTENTS
CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO

Contributors
ELMER D. ALOSNOS
RICE NOTES ELLA LOIS T. BESTIL
HANAH HAZEL MAVI M. BIAG
4 Agronomy: In search of its own revolution CHRISTINA A. FREDILES
CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO
NEWS MARC ELVIN T. LOZANO
EDUARDO JIMMY P. QUILANG
6 National gov’t braces for El Niño; positions EV A. PARAC
MA. ADRIELLE D. SOLSOLOY
agencies for appropriate response
7 New trustees sworn in Design and Layout
CARLO G. DACUMOS
7 Outreach program pushes adoption Illustrations
of water-saving technologies CARLITO N. BIBAL
CARLO G. DACUMOS
FEATURES Circulation

8 A bout with drought

AMOR VIRDI G. ACOSTA

Editorial Advisers

11 Time to mulch RONILO A. BERONIO

KAREN ELOISA T. BARROGA
12 When in drought, try ART ANDREI B. LANUZA
EDUARDO JIMMY P. QUILANG
16 Climate forecast bulletin PhilRice Stations
17 ‘Weather’ you like it or not Central Experiment Station
Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija
18 Dr. Josie A. Valdez: He ably proves his worth Trunklines: (44) 456-0258; -0277, -0285
Email: prri@email.philrice.gov.ph

20 Irrigation systems: Water for you, save it PhilRice Agusan

22 No-tillage tech: Tried, tested for climate puzzles

Basilisa, RTRomualdez, 8611 Agusan del Norte
Tel: (85) 818-4477; 343-0778
Tel/Fax: 343-0768
24 High yields, high optimism amid limited water Email: agusan@email.philrice.gov.ph

26 Modified Dry Direct Seeding Technique contends with El Niño PhilRice Batac
MMSU Campus, Batac City, 2906 Ilocos Norte
Tel/Fax: (77) 792-2545, -4702
Email: batac@email.philrice.gov.ph

14 Usapang magsasaka PhilRice Isabela

28 Global rice update

Malasin, San Mateo, 3318 Isabela
Tel: (78) 664-2954 • Tel/Fax: 664-2953
Email: san_mateo@email.philrice.gov.ph

28 Fruity recipe PhilRice Los Baños

30 New knowledge products

UPLB Campus, Los Baños, 4030 Laguna
Tel: (49) 536-3631 to 33,
Tel/Fax: 536-3515; -0484
Email: los_banos@email.philrice.gov.ph

PhilRice Midsayap
The editors encourage readers to photocopy and circulate articles with proper acknowledg- Bual Norte, Midsayap, 9410 North Cotabato
ment. Everyone is also invited to contribute articles to this magazine (600-800 words plus at Tel: (64) 229-8178 • Tel/Fax: 229-7242
least four photos/illustrations with credits). You may likewise suggest topics, or refer individu- Email: midsayap@email.philrice.gov.ph
als and organizations engaged in rice and rice-based activities whose stories are worth featuring. PhilRice Negros
Please email ablanuza@philrice.gov.ph or by mail to: Cansilayan, Murcia, 6129 Negros Occidental
Cell: 0928-506-0515
THE EDITOR Email: negros@email.philrice.gov.ph
PhilRice Magazine PhilRice Field Office
Development Communication Division CMU Campus, Maramag, 8714 Bukidnon
Philippine Rice Research Institute, Maligaya Tel/Fax: (88) 222-5744
2 ®

APRIL-JUNEScience
2010, Vol.City
23 No. 2
of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija
EDITORIAL

A ‘heated’ discussion
on rice production
It is ironic that the Philippines, an archipelago
virtually encircled by the Pacific Ocean, China
Sea, and other bodies of water, occasionally suf-
fers from lack of water; irrigation water for rice
production in some areas to be exact.
Water, being the most important input in rice
production, is one of the factors that determine
whether a variety will attain or even approximate
its yield potential. One event that contributes to
lack of water that reduces rice yields is “El Niño.”
According to experts, El Niño is a climate pat-
tern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean,
on the average, every five years. It is therefore,
widely and significantly, known as “quasi-period-
ic.” El Niño is most notorious for its association
with droughts and other maladies in many regions
of the world, which vary with each event. Develop-
ing countries dependent upon agriculture and fish-
ing, particularly those bordering the Pacific Ocean,
are the most affected ones. thrive under low-water conditions. This variety
In a study conducted by Mona Liza F. Delos can average 3.7 t/ha.
Reyes and Wilfredo P. David (2009), they saw Meanwhile, farmers in irrigated rice fields can
that the effects of El Niño on rice production, from do their part in ensuring the frugal use of water
1970 to 2005, depended on the intensity and by practicing alternate wetting and drying, also
time of occurrence of the warm episode. During known as CI. It was developed as a water-saving
the dry season, strong, moderate, and weak El technique to help farmers identify when water
Niño episodes depressed total rice production by is actually needed. This avoids water wastage
about 22%, 6%, and 0.2%, respectively. as rice fields need not be flooded all the time.
When one ponders about it, El Niño may be Through this practice, farmers located at the tail-
the leading cause of drops in rice production and end can also benefit from irrigation services.
one of the major hindrances to rice-sufficiency in Likewise, traditional techniques such as
the Philippines. This then leads us to the question mulching are being looked into as a possible
on how all can mitigate the devastating effects of method for conserving soil moisture. Some farm-
a naturally occurring phenomenon on rice produc- ers, simply by covering the soil with rice straw
tion. and other materials, can impede the rapid evapo-
PhilRice has come up with remedies that can ration of water and also prevent soil erosion.
help farmers get through “dry spells.” Two of these Preventing droughts and other natural phe-
are rice varieties that can thrive under drought nomena, which greatly affect rice production,
conditions, and the practice of controlled irrigation is something that is out of our control (and yes,
(CI). doing a raindance would not work), but hopefully,
Planting the right seeds for the right environ- the technologies promoted, and are still being
ment is a crucial first step in assuring good har- developed by PhilRice and other agencies and
vests. Rice varieties like NSIC Rc192, which was institutes can rescue farmers through these dry
bred for rainfed lowland drought-prone areas, can and trying times.

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

®
3
 RICE NOTES
Dr. Gelia T. Castillo
(PhilRice trustee since 1986)
Being neither a plant breeder
nor an agronomist, I speak in
this forum as an observer of the
operationalized in the Location-
Specific Technology Development
(LSTD) program using PalayCheck
as framework for crop management.
The program has mobilized and de-
ployed the brightest young agri-
culture graduates after training
them for four months in the sci-
entific practice of rice farming.
Called RSOs or Rice-Sufficiency
Officers, their task is “to build
good relationships with farmers
so they can better enrich their
knowledge and customize technolo-
gies.”
Knowledge power
AGRONOMY embodied in the new
vocabulary has continuously
evolved over the past 40 years
or so. The challenges are revo-
lutionary in the sense that the
new ways of caring for the rice
plant have become more KNOWLEDGE-
INTENSIVE rather than labor and
input-intensive. In a manner of
speaking, KNOWLEDGE, distilled
from a great deal of science
“substitutes” for, and makes more
effective, the use of seeds,
fertilizer, water, pesticides,
etc. In the past, the new seeds
and accompanying technologies
were promoted and adopted but the
science was left behind. Hence
fertilizer was calculated as so
many bags per hectare, pesticides
were sprayed every so many days;
and rice paddies were kept flooded
etc. Farmers lost sleep when they
did not spray; did not keep the
rice field flooded; did not have

Agronomy:
changing rice production system
and its implications over the
past 4 decades. To be honest,
let me state at the outset, that
plant breeders remain my favor-
ite scientists. Nothing personal!
It is strictly a matter of seeds.

in search of its
Plant breeders create seeds of
hope which agronomists nurture
so these seeds can fulfill their
promise.
A reading of IRRI’s history and
a revisit of the book: Changes in
Rice Farming in Selected Areas of
Asia, published in 1975, revealed
only two mentions of the word
AGRONOMY. The first mention was
that in 1987, S.K. de Datta, Head
of IRRI’s AGRONOMY Department,
received the First International
Soil Science Award. The second
mention was in connection with
the 1985 research cooperation be-
tween IRRI and Nepal.

Other names
As far as message and language
of communication are concerned,
the word AGRONOMY seems to have
gone out-of-style except that
the concept and practice have
evolved into something else known
by other names such as IPM, SSNM;
INRM; Nutrient-management; wa-
ter management; integrated weed
management; controlled irriga-
tion; AWD; land leveling; crop
establishment; seed health; seed-
ling management; reduced seeding
rate; good agricultural practice
(GAP); precision farming; lately
ecological engineering; and at
PhilRice, the most recent slogan
is: SITE MATTERS. This slogan is

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APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

 enough money for fertilizer; and
used less than 120 kg seeds per
hectare, etc. Now, farmers who
learned IPM; SSNM; AWD; CI, land
leveling and the right variety
for the right ecosystem during
the right season, say they sleep
better when they practiced what
they learned. “Very few stages
of rice growth require standing
water” is the message from the
scientists.
The challenge to agronomy and
to whatever else it is called is
incorporated in this statement
from IRRI’s Roland Buresh: “Sci-
entists must increasingly develop
management practices to ensure
continued sustainability as ir-
rigation water becomes limited.”
Incidentally, how do you explain
own revolution
why hybrid rice which has high
yield potential has only been
adopted in 6.2 percent of irri-
gated areas in Asia except China
which has 70.4 percent adoption?
Is this plant breeding or is it
agronomy?
Frequent visits
But an even greater challenge
is how to bring evidence-based
management practices to farmers
in a knowledge-enhancing man-
ner which would enable them to
transcend from “prescription
to decision.” Rice farmers are
constantly faced with nutrient,
water, pest, etc problems alto-
gether but the science comes to
them independently of each other.
One element which appears to be
required for good crop management
but is rarely communicated is the
need for frequent monitoring of
rice fields in order to quickly
identify any emerging problems.
Research during the early days
has shown that high-producers
visit their fields oftener than
others in the same area. As far
as research agenda is concerned,
studies on constraints to rice
production, adoption, and impact
used to have a strong presence.
Do we need to put them back where
they used to be?
In rice culture, TIME, TIM-
ING, and TIMELINESS lie at the
heart of crop management whether
it refers to maturity length of
rice variety; time to plant; time
to weed; time to harvest; time
to water, etc. This TIME dimen-
sion acquires more salience as
the demand for “climate-proofing”
technologies increases. Further-
more, by the very nature of crop
management, many of the effec-
tive means to deal with problems
require social learning and col-
lective action as in synchronous
planting, water management etc.
this is one of the most difficult
actions to “pull off” and so is
the coming together of scientists
so their message about good agri-
cultural practices can be inte-
grated for the farmers’ sake.
Seeing not enough
“Seeing is believing” may be
trite but it still works. How-
ever, it is not enough. We need
to add, DOING; USING; KNOWING;
UNDERSTANDING; and ADAPTING is
believing. All these actions are
important so farmers can actually
experience not only the technol-
ogy’s performance but also why it
works. Not everything in the sci-
ence of rice production is easily
and readily observed. Some of it
will become evident only over-
time, hence an understanding of
what is not immediately visible
is also required.
So, who says that an AGRO-
NOMIC REVOLUTION has not taken
place or is not possible? (Com-
ments prepared for the Science
Forum, “Will there be an agro-
nomic revolution in the intensive
lowlands?” during the IRRI-Alumni
Week, April 20-23, 2010, IRRI,
Los Baños, Laguna).
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
5
 NEWS

National gov’t braces for El Niño;

positions agencies for appropriate response

T
he Department of Agriculture
(DA) heads the “Task Force
El Niño” mandated to provide
assistance to farmers who are
hugely affected by the phenomenon.
The dry spell is feared to last
until July, even as it has already af-
fected some 772.538 ha nationwide
of palay, corn, and other crops with an
estimated aggregate total value of P11
billion, the DA said.
The DA has reallocated finances
from various government

agencies to fund the activities in re-
sponse to the El Niño phenomenon.
Some of the priority activities are
cloud-seeding in major watershed
areas and setting up of shallow tube
wells and pump irrigation systems in
open-source, said Agriculture Secretary
Bernie Fondevilla.
Along with other water-related
measures, the department is distribut-
ing water pumps worth and establish-
ing shallow tube wells all worth P420
million.
Earlier reports noted the decreasing
water levels in some of the country’s
major water reservoirs. While it is true
that there is still sufficient water to
irrigate farms, anticipatory measures
such as cloud-seeding and provision
of irrigation facilities are directed to be
put in place.
In Nueva Ecija, farmers have re-
mained calm despite news of El Niño
as there is decidedly an abundance of
irrigation water from the Pantabangan
Dam. Abundance in the dam’s reser-
voir was brought about by augmenta-
tion provided by the Casecnan Multi-
Purpose Irrigation and Power Project
and effective water management by
the Upper Pampanga River Integrated
Irrigation System (UPRIIS).
UPRIIS had added 16,879 ha to its
usual service area due to the aug-
mented water in the dam’s reservoir.
Despite the prolonged dry spell, the Pantabangan Dam reservoir provides enough
water supply to Nueva Ecija rice lands.
The new areas are in Muñoz, parts of
Talugtug, and Guimba, Nueva Ecija,
and some parts of Victoria in Tarlac.
Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also
called for nationwide water conserva-
tion measures so that farmers will
have enough water for their production
efforts.
Meanwhile, aside from direct
agriculture interventions, the national
government also said farmers greatly
affected by the drought can be em-
ployed in constructing irrigation facili-
ties and farm-to-market roads. They
may also enrol in skills development
training under the Technology Educa-
tion and Skills Development Authority
free of charge.
Additionally, Pres. Arroyo ordered a
moratorium on the payment of 150 kg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1541754.jpg
of rice irrigation service fee as the El
Niño phenomenon persists. The Land
Bank and other government financial
institutions were also ordered to im-
pose moratorium on the payment
of penalties on their farmer-clients’
outstanding debts.
Weather officials said Benguet,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga,
Batangas, Iloilo, Antique, Guimaras,
Capiz, Negros Occidental, Batanes,
Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya,
and Quirino are considered drought-
stricken provinces.
In the 1998 El Niño episode,
1.8 million metric tons in rice pro-
duction valued at P12M were lost.
That loss in production prompted the
country to import more rice
that year.

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APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

Outreach program pushes for adoption
of water-saving technologies
I
ntensified promotion and adoption
of alternate wetting and drying,
and other water-saving technolo-
gies are being carried out in target
areas this year.
This was agreed upon in the annual
review and planning meeting of the
implementing agencies of the Irrigated
Rice Research Consortium Country
Outreach Program (ICOP) in the Philip-
pines held in February.
Led by PhilRice, ICOP is a collab-
orative project that aims to promote
promising integrated rice technologies
to farmers in various countries. The
other member-agencies are the Nation-
New trustees sworn in
A
tty. Bernie G. Fondevilla,
acting secretary of the De-
partment of Agriculture, had
sworn in to office four new
members of the PhilRice Board of
Trustees, April 12.
Appointed by Pres. Gloria Maca-
pagal-Arroyo on March 5, the new
members are: Jose S. Concepcion
Jr, representing the business com-
munity; Flaviana “Vivian” M. Del
Rosario, consumer sector; Pacifico
M. Fajardo, community develop-
ment group; and Dr. Leonardo A.
Gonzales, research and development
community.
With the Secretary of Agriculture
al Irrigation Administration (NIA), the
Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center,
and IRRI.
The water work group of the
Philippine ICOP aims to reduce water
use and improve water-use efficiency
through the promotion of controlled
irrigation.
NIA conducts series of seminar-
workshops for its adoption at the com-
munity level.
Research studies show that water-
saving technologies can reduce water
use by 15% to 35% without signifi-
cantly reducing yield.
The promotion activities are in
as ex-officio chairperson, the Board
of Trustees is the highest policy and
decision-making body of the Institute.
Concepcion, an industrialist and
businessman, received The Outstand-
ing Filipino (TOFIL) award for Social
Advocacy in 2007. He founded the
National Citizens Movement for Free
Elections (NAMFREL) together with
Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich and is one of
the founding members of the ASEAN
Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
On the other hand, Fajardo was
representative of the third district of
Nueva Ecija in 1992-2001 and mayor
of Palayan City in 1988-1992.
Meanwhile, Del Rosario is an
response to the problems brought
by the dry spell being experienced in
the country and the effects of cli-
mate change. The move also forms
part of the implementers’ efforts to
realign the goals of the program with
the Philippine Rice Self-Sufficiency
program.
Other components of the Philip-
pine ICOP include adaptive research
on management of weedy rice,
site-specific nutrient management,
pest management, and postharvest
technologies. The project’s target
areas are in Regions I, III, IV, and VI.
(By Ev A. Parac)
entrepreneur known in the food
business.
Currently one of the Institute’s
consultants, Gonzales is also the
president of STRIVE Foundation
– an organization that provides
technical and financial support
to graduate and undergraduate
scholars engaged in development
research.
To date, twelve distinguished
men have chaired the Board, and
13 respected women and 40 men
have either served or are serving
as board members. Dr. Gelia T.
Castillo, renowned rural sociolo-
gist and national scientist, holds
the exclusive distinction of having
continuously served as trustee
since the inception of PhilRice
in 1986. (By Charisma Love B.
Gado)
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
7
 A
s barangay councilor Julie
Gambalan of Aga, Delfin Al-
bano, Isabela walked through
her rice field, her brown and
almost sunburned feet repeatedly
landed on cracked soil. She did not
sustain an injury, but the strap of
her slippers was snapped.
“In my 30 years of farming, our
field has never been this dry,” Gam-
balan said.
Her hands, callused by hard
work, and her spirit a little bit
broken, Gambalan is among farmers
affected by El Niño or warmer-than-
usual phenomenon in Isabela.
“My hands were not as affected
as they are now. With the long dry
spell, which started around Octo-
ber 2009, my hands were battered
while watering our rice plants and
rice-based crop almost day and
night and by manually harvesting
them,” she narrated.
El Niño
El Niño, according to experts, is
a “temporary change in the climate
of the Pacific Ocean, in the region
around the equator.”
El Niño, which refers to Child
Jesus, was the name originally given
by fishermen in Peru because of its
warm current annually occurring
during Christmas time.
According to David W. Pierce of
the Scripps Institution of Oceanogra-
phy based at University of California,
San Diego, the ocean surface warms
up by a few degrees celsius during
this temporary change. Simultane-
ously, hefty thunderstorms occurring
on the equator move eastward.
A bout with drought
8 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
The phenomenon occurs as the
wind blows strongly from east to west
along the equator in the Pacific.
“This wind activity piles up water,
about half a meter’s worth, in the
western part of the Pacific while in the
eastern part, deeper water, which is
colder than the sun-warmed surface
water, gets pulled up from below to
replace the water pushed west. With
this, the water becomes warm, about
30oC in the west, and cold, about 22o
C, in the east,” he explained.
Materials gathered from the Internet
show that El Niño occurs irregularly
every two to seven years. A severe
onslaught of El Niño can last a year or
more.
Fighting for the crop
Gambalan recalled the strike of El
Niño in their locality in 2005, which
lasted for three months. But this year,
she said, the drought is already on its
sixth month and had taken a heavy toll
on her crop.
“It was so heartbreak-
ing to see that the plants,
which are already produc-
ing tillers, are facing immi-
nent death. They were like
humans begging for water.
I felt the strong urge to save
them,” she said.
For her rice plants to survive, she
sold their cattle worth P25,000 to
finance the fuel and oil to run the
pump to irrigate the crop. She thought
it better to part with her cattle rather
Charisma Love B. Gado
than see her crop gradually die.
Unlike other farmers, Gambalan is
quite lucky as her 2.5-ha field is just
200 m away from the water source.
She only spent P1,000 a week for
irrigation while other farmers, whose
water source is far from their rice
lands, spent P7,000.
“I had sleepless nights. The expens-
es were too much and were adding
up to the weekly allowance of P1,000
for my college student in Manila,” she
confided.
Unfortunately, despite her efforts
and expenses, she only harvested 8
cavans (0.4 t/ha) in their 1.3-ha farm.
The harvest she got, she said, was
enough only to recover her expenses
on seedling pulling and transplanting.
The remaining 1.2 ha area, which
is yet to be harvested, does not show
a ray of hope for a high yield. She said
that before the onslaught of El Niño,
she used to harvest 150 cavans (7.5
t/ha).
“We estimate to harvest only about
10 cavans (0.5 t/ha) from our remain-
ing area,” she said.
Coping
To compensate for the low harvest
from their rice field, Gambalan planted
vegetables such as eggplant, string
beans, and pepper in the parched land
where her rice crop withered and died.
“I planted these vegetables because
they need less water to grow and de-
The high cost of irrigation forced some farm-
ers to give up on their rice plants few weeks
after transplanting.
This waterless fishpond, an important component of diversified farming, is now an idle land for four
months as it dried up owing to the prolonged dry spell.
velop. This is now my third attempt at
planting eggplants as the two previous
batches died. I used to water them in
the morning and noon, but they died.
For this batch, I water them at night,
at around 10pm,” she said.
The vegetables, she said, use at
least part of the barren land and en-
able the family to have some food on
the table.
“Previous dry spells re-
duced our yield by 50 per-
cent. Now, the reduction is
80 percent. With this crisis
now, having vegetables in
the backyard can help a lot
as we have something to
eat,” she said.
Postproduction pains
Gambalan used to hire 25-30
workers to harvest their 2.5-ha farm.
This harvest time, only four of her fam-
ily members are needed to finish the
job in their farm.
“We are saving whatever we can,
even labor. Instead of hiring laborers,
we harvest and thresh the crop by
ourselves,” she said.
In threshing, Gambalan and her
family members used their bare feet.
They spread the harvested panicles on
a mat and trample with their feet.
“It is painful,” she said. “My feet
ached from the heat coming out from
the ground and from the coarseness
of the grain.”
However, in spite of the pains,
Gambalan is hopeful that the coming
cropping season will compensate for
whatever losses they had suffered.
Giving up
Not all farmers went on tending
their crop like what Gambalan did.
Other tillers gave up as they cal-
culated that their expected harvest
would not be enough to pay for the
debt they would incur if they contin-
ued caring for the crop. They esti-
mated the efforts would cost at least
P25,000 a hectare.
Rolan Cahalni, also from Brgy.
Aga, said he stopped taking care of
his plants when the field got dried up
a few weeks after transplanting
them.
“We heard last November that
there would be a dry spell. But I
thought my farm would not be af-
fected because the Danao creek, our
main source of water, never dries up.
I was wrong. The dry spell this year
is severe,” he said.
Cahalni, a farmer for 20 years and
used to harvest 150 cavans (7.5 t/
ha) a hectare, said that the farmers
in their area planted rice on the heels
of announcements that El Niño will
be experienced. He said that they
hoped that rains would come by
January or February. They never fell.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
9
 “We had no choice but
to give up on the crop af-
ter planting it last Decem-
ber because saving them
through rigorous irrigation
would cost us more money.
The crop didn’t grow and
remained stunted at only 7
inches,” Cahalni said.
To support his crop planted in 2
ha, Cahalni estimated that he would
spend more than P7,000 every week
for fuel and oil.
“Our farm is far from the water
source so we would be spending a lot.
We didn’t want to add some more to
the P10,000 invested before the dry
spell totally hit our farm. We don’t
want to gamble anymore for our stand-
ing crop as we sensed that we will be
losing much,” he said.
Saving the crop
Patricio Castillo Jr. of Brgy. San
Joaquin, Balungao, Pangasinan said
the farmers must be wary about El
Niño owing to its damaging effects.
“Now that I take farming as a busi-
ness, I can feel the devastating effects
of El Niño. My farm is diversified.
Other than rice, I cultivate vegetables
and raise fish. I have more responsi-
bilities to take care of,” he said.
In contending with the effects of El
Niño, Castillo, a farmer since his child-
hood, opined that the phenomenon
may bring out the best in a farmer
during its onslaught. In his case, he
learned to properly manage his water
source to provide crops their water
requirements.
“Previously, I just let the water
drawn by my generator flow freely
through my fields. Now, I installed an
appropriate hose for the water to easily
reach targeted crops,” he shared.
In the past, he said, irrigating his
4-ha farm took three days. With his
improved practice now, he rrigates the
entire farm within a day.
According to Castillo, warnings on
the onslaught of El Niño came late as
many farmers in their barangay already
planted rice and vegetables in Novem-
ber.
On the other hand, Rolando Varila
of Brgy. Rajal, Balungao said the
drought made some farmers resort to
10 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
Being optimistic, Patricio Castillo Jr. of Balungao, Pangasinan believes that his land will soon
bring back the bountiful harvest he used to have before the onslaught of El Niño.
unscrupulous ways to survive. He nar-
rated that his fellow farmers stole the
fuel from his generator when he left his
field to take his dinner. To prevent the
repeat of the incident, he said he built
a nipa hut on his farm where he stayed
at night to guard his property.
Farming for 30 years, Varila said
the 2009 wet season and 2010 dry
season croppings were his most dif-
ficult farming years. Before the dry
spell, his farm was hit by typhoon
Pepeng, which subsequently flooded
his entire 1.2 ha. As a result, no in-
come lined-up his pocket.
He thought the typhoon was a
blessing in disguise because it sup-
plied their source of water enough for
the next cropping season. Sadly, the
water was inadequate. He invested
P15,000 when the dry spell damaged
his crop.
Owing to the weather disturbances,
Varila resolved to adjust his planting
time to avoid the typhoon and the dry
spell. His harvest of 27 cavans (1.35
t/ha) from his usual harvest of 130
cavans from (6.5 t/ha) a hectare was
reason enough for him to make adjust-
ments in his planting calendar..
Meanwhile, Marlon Parlan, 39, of
Brgy. Rajal, made a crucial decision on
what to do when he saw that his crop
was being persecuted by the drought.
He allowed and tended the crop on the
heading stage to continue on develop-
ing and let the crop, which was on the
panicle initiation stage, die its natural
death.
“Water was scarce so I decided
which among my crops would be al-
lowed to continue developing. With the
high cost of irrigation, I can’t sustain
them all. From the crops I saved, I
harvested 9 cavans (0.45 t/ha) in a
hectare farm. I normally harvest 96
cavans (4.8 t/ha),” he said.
With that small harvest, Parlan
said he was not able to buy the young
pig he intended to invest in for this
year’s wet season. The piglet was sup-
posed to be his “bank” for the capital
he would need for the next cropping
season.
“The farmers, indeed, became
pitiful due to the prolonged dry spell,”
Lilibeth Ilar of Brgy. Aga said.
However, Castillo took a different
stance as he viewed the effects of
the calamity. “Farmers should keep
their faith in farming. They should not
stop when faced with adversities as
next time around it may be a different
thing,” he said.
Castillo is not one to readily give up
owing to his dreams. He said:
“As long as farmers like me
know how to stand even
from nothing, good weather
will be smiling at us some-
day.”
 Time to
Hanah Hazel Mavi M. Biag
D
o you want your crops to
survive the ill effects of “sum-
mer and rainy days?” Mulch-
ing can save your crops from
the plants’ stressful days, a vegetable
farmer in Talavera, Nueva Ecija said.
Mulch is a loose covering or sheet
of materials spread on top of the soil.
Mulch can be in the form of rice straws
or hay, grasses, and plastic sheets.
It can be used as vegetable beds for
cucumbers, melons, squash, tomatoes,
peppers, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli,
and cauliflower.
Laying of mulch over the soil
surface or simply mulching, conserves
soil moisture and moderates soil
temperature. Mulching also protects
the soil against erosion, reduces the
need for frequent watering, prevents
weed growth, and reduces compaction
from heavy rains, according to PhilRice
experts.
For Francis Vecencio, 29, of Tala-
vera town, he found the use of plastic
sheets as mulch is ideal. He has been
doing it for more than 10 years.
His parents had been practicing
mulching and it was from them which
made him adopt the technology.
He owns a 3-ha farm wherein he
usually practices intercropping. His
crops include onions, bottle gourd,
tomatoes, bitter gourd, and green pep-
per.
mulch
Although the use of plastic mulch
costs him P10,000 per hectare, this
amount is easily offset by his high
income. From single cropping which
lasts for more than five months, he
earns P600,000 in a hectare from
ampalaya production alone.
Based on his experience, mulch-
ing during the dry season conserves
moisture, and more water is stored
and slowly released by the soil, thus
increasing water retention. Loss of
water from the soil due to evaporation
is minimized.
Vecencio said mulched areas re-
quire less frequent watering that’s why
he usually waters his crops only once
a week.
He also observed that mulching
inhibits the rapid growth of weeds and
prevents the exposure of the seeds of
weeds to sunlight which usually serves
as the primary trigger for growing.
“The mulch is like a
rain coat and comforter as
it breaks up the force of
raindrops preventing soil
erosion, and moderates
internal soil temperatures
during the rainy season,”
Vecencio said with a smile.
For Francis Vecencio, mulching paid off as he still
harvests ampalaya in his 2-ha farm for almost seven
months.
A few years back, he tried not to
use mulch to cut his production ex-
penses. He, however, got disappointed
as his yield became low.
Vecencio still explores different
techniques to improve his yield. He
tried earlier using rice straw in his
green pepper for nutrient management.
He found out that his production cost
was lessened. However, he said, it is
laborious as collecting and spreading
the straws are done repeatedly.
Lastly, Vecencio explained that
plants are like your children wherein
you have to continuously create an
atmosphere conducive for their growth
and development. “Practice mulching
and you’ll never regret doing it,” he
said.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
11

When in drought,
try ART
Christina A. Frediles
A
promising new cropping system,
called Aerobic Rice Technology
(ART), is seen to be effective in rice
production even when there is water
crisis or El Niño phenomenon.
ART is one way of growing rice that
needs less water compared to the traditional
12 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
practice which takes 3,000 to 5,000
liters of water to produce a kilo of
palay.
According to Engr. Junel B. So-
riano, director of Research, Extension,
Training, and Production of the Bula-
can Agricultural State College, aerobic
rice grows well in nonflooded and
nonpuddled soils using supplementary
irrigation. It can be grown like maize
crop or wheat, he added.
The International Rice Research
Institute introduced ART in 2001 in
collaboration with DA-PhilRice and
NIA.
Choosing the right variety
Drought-tolerant varieties such as
NSIC Rc192 (Sahod Ulan1), and NSIC
Rc9 (Apo) can be used. These varieties
were bred by IRRI.
Thelma Padolina, head of PhilRice
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Divi-
sion, said these varieties can withstand
drought and avoid the rolling leaf,
thick cuticle, and deep root problems
in rice growing. She also said these va-
rieties have the capability to withstand
tension in their cells under reduced soil
water, giving them rigidity and keeping
them erect. These varieties can also
recover quickly when the stress period
ends.
Approved in 2009, NSIC
Rc192, is bred for rainfed
lowland drought-prone ar-
eas. It has an average yield
of 3.7t/ha (72cav) with a
maturity of 106 days and
height of 109cm. It is resis-
tant to yellow stem borers
but susceptible to bacterial
leaf blight and tungro.
Bred for upland areas, NSIC Rc9
yields 2.9t/ha (58cav). It matures
in 119 days with a height of 98cm.
It has resistance to stemborer but
susceptible to brown plant hopper and
tungro. NSIC Rc9 was approved as a
variety in 2001.
Managing ART
Before sowing 100-120 kg of
seeds for a hectare, the field should
be well-prepared, which is done by
plowing and harrowing. The seeds are
directly sown in the furrow at 2-3 cm
deep with 25-35 cm furrow space.
Irrigation after seeding is suggested
if the soil is dry to enhance seed
germination.
After the first irrigation, spray
pre-emergence herbicide. Meanwhile,
spray post-emergence herbicide at
20-25 days after emergence (DAE),
Soriano explained.
At flowering stage, flood irrigation
is done at 5-7 cm water depth. “A
farmer-cooperator in Bulacan irrigates
only once a week or three times a
month at 2-5 cm depth depending on
the needs of the crop,” Soriano said.
In the wet season, as in the case of
weather conditions in Region 3, irriga-
tion, he added, is no longer a big chal-
lenge as this rice can grow normally
even if there is no rainfall within two
weeks.
Rice crops, cultivated through ART,
need less labor and farm inputs, thus
production cost is lesser. As seed
distance is farther apart, hand weeding
is easier. “I only recommend 4 bags
complete fertilizer for a hectare at 10-
15 DAE,” Soriano said.
For early and late-maturing variet-
ies, Soriano recommends the applica-
tion of 3 bags of ammonium sulfate
or 1.5 bag urea/ha. For the former,
fertilizer application is at 25-30 and
for the latter, at 30-35 DAE.
ART-cultivated crops are more
tolerant to weeds and pests compared
with other rice varieties, Soriano said.
“Our farmer-cooperator in Isabela
obtained yield of 6t/ha instead of his
usual harvest of 4-5 t/ha,” Soriano
said. “He could have yielded 7t/ha if
he only religiously followed the ART.
He applied too much fertilizer which
made his plants grow taller and lodge,”
Soriano added.
On the other hand, Nemencio Con-
cepcion, 49, of Mataas na Parang, San
Ildefonso Bulacan, a farmer-cooperator
of ART, harvested 7t/ha instead of his
usual harvest of 6t/ha. He followed the
recommendations in this technology.

Did you know that....

...we can actually create building materials
out of rice parts with the application of
biotechnology ?
Architect Geronimo M. Manahan, Ph.D., sparked interest
www.tokyoartbeat.com

and curiosity from a crowd of construction technology architects

and engineers recently at a forum on the future trends of
environmentally sound building technology and materials when
he said this was possible. He added that rice straws, which are
resistant to fire, vermin, and rotting could even be developed.
Using solar energy in the production of such materials, he said, would even make the materials
become environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient.
Rice Hull Ash (RHA) is said to significantly improve the durability of concrete and substantially
replace silica fume as an additive, at lower cost. Past efforts have been made to incorporate RHA
with brick elements for housing with success. (http://www.inquirer.net/globalnation/sec_prf/2003/
jul/02-04.htm)

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

®
13
 USAPANG MAGSASAKA
MA. ADRIELLE D. SOLSOLOY
Pilasin ang pahinang ito at gawing gabay sa pagsasaka!
Pagtugon sa pabagu-
bagong panahon…
Hindi na maikakaila na ang pabagu-bagong pana-
hon ay nandito na. Ang pagtaas ng temperatura ay isa
sa mga hudyat ng pagbabago ng panahon na nagduru-
lot ng sobrang init ng kapaligiran.
Sa isang pag-aaral at ilang eksperimentong isina-
gawa, lumilitaw na sa bawat taas ng temperatura ng
1oC inaasahang bumaba ang ani ng 10 hanggang 15
porsyento. Ang sobrang init ay nakasasama sa palay.
Nakakaltasan ang bilang ng suwi, taas ng palay, bilang
ng butil, at laman ng butil.
Ano ba ang ginagawa at payo ng PhilRice
upang matugunan ang isyung ito?
Nagdedebelop ng mga barayti na matibay
sa baha, init, at maalat na lupa. – Ilan lamang
dito ang NSIC Rc194 o mas kilala sa tawag na Sub-
marino 1 para sa bahaing lugar, NSIC Rc192 para sa
tagtuyot, at NSIC Rc182, 184, 186, 188, 190 para sa
maalat na lupa.
Paggamit ng Controlled Irrigation o
teknolohiyang CI. – Sa CI, maaaring bumaba ng
16 hanggang 35 porsyento ang paggamit ng tubig sa
palayan na hindi mababawasan ang ani. Ang pagsa-
sagawa ng CI ay nakababawas din sa gastusin, at na-
kaiiwas sa pagsingaw ng gas na methane na kabilang
sa mga bagay na nagpapainit sa mundo.
14 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
CGDacumos
Illustration:
Paggamit ng makabagong teknolohiya tulad
ng geographic information system o GIS at
ICT. – Sa pamamagitan ng GIS, mas mapabibilis ang
pagtukoy sa mga lugar na naaapektuhan ng pagbabago
ng panahon. Gayundin, sa tulong ng ICT, makararating
ang impormasyong kailangan nang mas mabilis kaysa sa
lumang paraan.
Isagawa ang Palayamanan. – Isa itong paky-
awang pamamaraan sa pamamahala ng palay, gulay,
hayop, at iba pang pagkain at pagkakakitaan sa bukid.
Sa pamamagitan nito, nababawasan ang paggamit ng
kemikal na kadalasan ay mitsa sa pagbabago ng pana-
hon. Ang pagtatanim ng punong kahoy, prutas, at gulay
ay ilan lamang sa mga simpleng paraan upang maba-
wasan ang karbon sa kapaligiran.
Paggamit ng mga alternatibong pamama-
raan upang mabawasan ang pagtagas ng
methane sa himpapawid. – Isang pag-aaral mula
sa PhilRice at IRRI ang nagrerekomenda sa paggamit
ng ammonium sulfate bilang pataba kapalit ng urea;
paghalo ng phosphogypsum sa urea; pagpapatuyo ng
lupa sa tinatawag na midseason; at pagsasabog-tanim sa
halip na lipat-tanim.
Ang programang Location-Specific Technol-
ogy Development o LSTD. – Nakatuon ang LSTD sa
pagdebelop at pagtukoy ng mga teknolohiyang angkop sa
isang lokalidad. Sa programang ito, mas mapapadaling
masolusyunan ang problema sa pagbabago ng panahon
kung may teknolohiyang nakalaan sa partikular na lugar.
Halaga ng tubig
sa pagsasaka!
Kaliwa’t kanan ang isyu ngayon sa tinatawag na El Niño
phenomenon o ang tagtuyot. Ang pagkaubos ng tubig ay
sadyang nararamdaman na sa Ilocos, Isabela, Cagayan,
Pangasinan, La Union, Aurora, Bataan, Palawan, Zambo-
anga, at South Cotabato.
Ano nga ba ang naidudulot ng kakulangan ng tubig sa
produksiyon ng palay?
Bago magtanim (preplanting operation)
• Paghahanda ng lupa (Land preparation) – Ang tubig
ang pinakamahalagang elemento upang makapagsimula
ng taniman; hindi mapalalambot ang lupa kung walang
tubig.
• Pagpapatag ng lupa (Leveling) – Kung kulang sa tubig,
hindi makakamit ang key check 2 na nagsasabing kai-
langan ng 2-3 sentimetrong tubig upang mapatag nang
tama ang lupa; at wala ring gabay ang magsasaka kung
pantay na nga ba ang lupa o hindi pa.
• Paglilipat-tanim (Transplanting) – Kung kulang o
walang tubig, hindi mapananatili ang lambot ng lupa
kung saan mas madali ang pagtatanim.
Paglaki ng palay (crop growing)
• Maagang paglago ng palay (Early vegetative stage)
– tutubo at lalago ang mga damo kung walang tubig
sa panahong ito; tubig ang pinakamurang paraan ng
pagkontrol ng damo.
• Pagsusuwi (Tillering) – kapag wala o kulang sa tubig,
hindi magsusuwi ang palay; kapag sobra naman sa
tubig, maaaring kaunti lang ang suwi.
• Pagpapataba (Fertilizer application) – maraming
masasayang na pataba kapag hindi tama ang tubig ng
pinitak. Ang alin mang patabang hindi magagamit ng
halaman ay magiging greenhouse gas na siyang nagpa-
painit ng mundo o sanhi ng water pollution na nakasi-
sira sa kapaligiran.
• Paglilihi ng palay (Panicle initiation) – kapag kinapos
ng tubig, hindi maaabot ang potensiyal na dami ng butil
sa bawat uhay.
• Pamumulaklak (Flowering) – kapag kinapos ng tubig,
dadami ang walang laman na butil o tulyapis.
• Paglalaman ng butil (Grain filling) – kapag kinapos ng
tubig, bababa ang grain weight ng palay; magaan ang
mga butil dahil hindi ito magiging mapintog.
Pag-ani at pagkatapos umani
(harvest and postharvest)
• Sa panahong ito, mas maganda kung tuyo ang palayan.
Walang masyadong epekto ang kakulangan sa tubig
kapag hinog na ang mga butil ng palay. Ang labis na
tubig ay nakababalam sa mga gawain sa bukid sa pana-
hong ito.
SOURCE: JOVINO DE DIOS, PhilRice
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
15
 CLIMATE FORECAST BULLETIN Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang and Elmer D. Alosnos

T
his Climate Forecast was derived from PAGASA and
other online sources. It may vary and will be up-
dated depending on the current weather situation.
Last March, weather systems like the prevalence of
the ridge of high pressure area (HPA) brought surface air
temperatures above normal over the country. For exam-
ple, at PhilRice Central Experiment Station, the normal
average maximum temperature during March is 31.73°C
compared to this year’s 32.29°C. Dry spell continued in
the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, Apayao,
Mountain Province, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union,
Pangasinan, Cagayan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija,
Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Rizal, Antique, Guimaras,
Iloilo and Negros Occidental, including the provinces of
Lanao and Misamis Occidental.
The El Niño that started in June 2009 in the equato-
rial Pacific still prevails. Impacts are still manifested over
affected areas in Luzon and Visayas, as dry spell condi-
tions continue resulting still to low water levels in major
dams in the country.
Weather systems that will affect the country from
April to June are the transition from northeast monsoon
“Amihan” to southwest monsoon “Habagat”, Intertropical
Convergence Zone (ITCZ), easterly wave, tropical cyclone,
and ridge of HPA. Seasonal rainfall forecast will likely
be below normal over most parts of the country during
May to June with some areas that may have near normal
rainfall condition. Processed image from NASA Terra Satellite acquired on April 22, 2010
shows the dry condition affecting Philippines.
In May, below normal rainfall condition will be
expected over northern Luzon, whereas, near to above
normal over Central and Southern Luzon. Below normal
A possibility of La Niña condition may also follow after
rainfall over most areas of Visayas while in Mindanao,
El Niño episode. We advise that farmers be kept updated
below to near normal condition. In June, generally below
of weather forecasts.
normal rainfall condition is expected over most parts of
the country with some patches of near normal rainfall
that may be received in some cases.
For July to September, most parts of the country will
likely have near normal rainfall conditions with some
areas that may still receive below normal condition.
Tips:
For rainfed areas, recommended varieties are the following:
Warmer surface air temperatures are expected in most • Transplanted: PSB Rc 12, Rc 14, Rc 36,
parts of the country as El Nino event continues especially Rc 38, Rc 40, Rc 98, Rc 100
during the peak of the “summer” (drier) months. Two or • Direct-Seeded: PSB Rc 16, Rc 24, Rc 42,
three tropical cyclones (TC) are expected to form or enter Rc 60, Rc 62, Rc 68, Rc 70
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) for April-
For more information, contact:
June season and about ten (10) tropical cyclones during PhilRice Agromet Network
the July-September season. Probable onset of the rainy Philippine Rice Research Institute
season associated with the southwest monsoon will be Maligaya, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija
2nd half of May to 1st half of June where farmers can Tel: (044)-456-0285 loc 212
start sowing and land preparation (Source: 40th National Email: ejpquilang@email.philrice.gov.ph
ed_alosnos@email.philrice.gov.ph
Climate Outlook Forum, PAGASA, Quezon City).
Farmers’ Txt Center: 0920-911-1398

16 ®

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

O Weather’
f the many factors affecting
productivity in rice produc-
tion, weather, perhaps, is
the most difficult to address.
It changes very often and is beyond
control which makes it a significant
threat to farmers looking forward to
a bountiful harvest.
In general, weather refers to the
day-to-day conditions of the atmo-
sphere at a particular place and time.
It is affected by agrometeorological fac-
tors or climate elements such as high
or low temperature, humidity, rain,
sunshine, clouds, and wind, among
others.
To a wise farmer, weather data are
very important in making everyday
decisions in the farm. When and how
much rain will fall on a certain day, for
example, affects farmers’ decision of
whether or not to apply fertilizer, ir-
rigate the field, and harvest the crops,
among others. On the other hand, too
high or too low temperature can affect
the growth of rice plants.
Weather forecasting, as well as
seasonal climate forecast or the moni-
toring of weather over longer periods of
time, is an important tool to help farm-
ers cope with these varying weather
conditions.
PhilRice Agromet Network
is born
To support the data needs of
PhilRice researchers, farmers, and
other rice stakeholders, the PhilRice
Agrometeorological Station Network
(PhilRice Agromet Network) was
established to lead the delivery of
relevant climate-related information.
This should help researchers and farm-
ers deal and cope with the effects of
weather and climate in rice production.
For its more detailed weather re-
ports, PhilRice Agromet Network main-
tains weather stations equipped with
mechanical and automatic weather
facilities in its stations in Ilocos Norte,
Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occi-
you like it or not
Ev A. Parac
dental, Agusan del Norte , and North In the first bulletin sample devel-
Cotabato. It also subscribes to and oped by PhilRice Agromet Network
integrates relevant climatic data from EvinA.early
ParacNovember 2009, for ex-
other local and international research ample, farmers were warned of a dry
agencies. Archive of reports from Phi- spell related to the moderate El Niño
lAgromet stations and external sources phenomenon which was projected to
can be accessed at the PhilRice online peak in December 2009 to February
database system (http://dbmp.philrice. 2010. In the forecast, Nueva Ecija,
gov.ph). Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pan-
“Reliable climate information are gasinan, Zambales, Cavite, Mindoro
important in making strategies that can Provinces, Romblon, Palawan, and
help rice farmers effectively cope with Panay Island were predicted to ex-
the bad effects of frequent changes in perience way below normal rainfall.
weather and extreme climate events,” Areas in these provinces that have
Engr. Elmer Alosnos, science research poor irrigation systems and are rain-
specialist and member of the PhilRice falldependent bore the worst effects
Agromet Network team, said. of the dry spell.
Reliable weather and climate fore-
casts are imparted to farmers through Keep tuned
bulletins. These bulletins inform With such information known
farmers of weather problems, such as ahead, farmers and other rice stake-
heavy or no rainfall, strong winds, high holders were advised to develop
temperatures, and typhoons, and the measures to lessen the negative
areas affected. Bulletins also include effects of the drought.
farm advisories on what to do to Everyone was also advised to use
prepare for and cope with the weather water-saving technologies such as
problems.
controlled irrigation to conserve wa-
ter. Another farm recommendation
“If farmers learn to prop- issued was the use of early-maturing
erly use weather informa- and/or drought-tolerant rice varieties.
More importantly, the PhilRice
tion, they can increase Agromet Network team askedfarm-
their farm income as well ers and other decision-makers to
as reduce or prevent farm always stay tuned to the PAGASA’s
weather forecasts, El Niño advi-
losses when the weather sories, and dam status reports
is bad for rice production” especially during severe weather or
Alosnos said. climate conditions.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
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17
 PROFILE
P
angulo (president). The title
is usually earned through
superior number of votes.
Others, however, earn it
through respect.
Ask the farmers in San Ildefonso,
Bulacan, especially in Brgy Pinaod,
and they will point to Dr. Josie A.
Valdez, president of Bulacan Agri-
cultural State College (BASC), as
the holder of the moniker, Pangulo,
which he earned not necessarily thru
his official position but through re-
18 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
spect established by his character and
good relationship with them.
Challenged
Dr. Valdez, also popularly known
as Pres to his staff, is a rice advo-
cate who promotes the aerobic rice
technology – a way of growing certain
rice varieties in non-flooded and non-
puddled soil.
Considered as grains of hope, the
aerobic rice varieties can withstand
long periods of less-water conditions.
Dr. Josie A. Valdez:
He ably proves
his worth
Charisma Love B. Gado
During rounds of visit in the
community after his installment as
university president in 2002, he
found out that limited supply of water
limits the abundant rice production of
farmers within the school’s commu-
nity. When Dr. Junel Soriano, director
for Research, Extension, Training and
Production of BASC, informed him
of the aerobic rice technology (ART)
being promoted by the Irrigated Rice
Research Consortium, he and his
team made a proposal to fund the
implementation of the technology in
Bulacan.
However, what he thought was a
noble goal was turned down.
Dr. Bas Bouman, one of the
technology proponents based at the
International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), told him, “Prove your worth
first, Dr. Valdez, for us to support
the proposal.”
Although surprised, he was chal-
lenged. His strong desire to help the
farmers in the area motivated him
to use college funds to promote the
technology in the third district of
Bulacan.
“Being a teacher for
about 20 years and as a
parent, I feel obliged not
only to educate the stu-
dents, but also to help the
parents so they can sup-
port the education of their
children,” Dr. Valdez said.
 After a year of self-financing the
project, IRRI acceded to the proposal
of BASC and funded the researches
and field demonstrations relative to
the technology in 2004.
Impressed, Bouman said, “BASC
has the most systematic effort I have
seen in the Philippines in produc-
ing and providing aerobic rice seed
supply.”
Spreading the grains of hope
Valdez is proud of his roots. He
came from a farming family. As a
child, Valdez transplanted rice, weed-
ed their field, and helped in harvest-
ing their crop. Already distinguished
in his profession, he still maintains a
4-ha orchard, a combination of rice
field and farm in Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac.
“There’s money in agri-
culture. This is the reason
why I encourage farmers
to continue farming and
students to pursue agricul-
ture degrees, and practice
it in life,” he said.
From his farm, he earns an addi-
tional P100,000 in rice per cropping
season. However, he said that his
income is still modest compared with
other progressive rice farmers who
can own a million-worth house and
buy new cars from their incomes.
Owing to his belief that farming
can lead to better life, he and his
team spread the grains of hope by
producing the seeds and conducting
technology demonstrations on farm-
ers’ fields.
“We presented the technology to
the state colleges and universities in
academic gatherings. Now, we have
partners throughout the country,” he
said.
BASC is joined by the Don
Mariano Marcos Memorial State
University (DMMMSU) in La Union,
Isabela State University (ISU), Aurora
State College of Technology (ASCOT),
Bataan Peninsula State University
(BPSU), and Palawan State Universi-
ty (PSU) in espousing ART. Recently,
his team was invited to introduce the
technology in Mindanao.
Aside from IRRI, the Commis-
sion on Higher Education helped fund
BASC’s research activities on aerobic
rice seed production in 2008.
With the research and promotion
endeavors mounted by BASC, the
number of farmer-adopters in Bulacan
increased from seven in the wet sea-
son of 2004 to 54 in the wet season
of 2007.
Meanwhile, PhilRice extends
technical support in implementing the
project.
Leading by doing
According to Valdez, a proponent
needs to be one of the farmers to suc-
cessfully implement a technology.
“Be a farmer, dress like them, and
do what they do,” he emphasized.
During one of his field works, he
recalls that the farmers commented on
his “being one of them.” Planting with
the farmers at 2 pm, the rice produc-
ers said that he is the only school
president and leader who works with
them.
While promoting aerobic rice to
Iwahig farmers in Palawan, Valdez
also led the group in going to the
muddy field when nobody wanted to
start planting owing to the rain. When
the others saw him moving in to the
muddy field, his team members and
the farmers followed suit.
In his own farm, he schedules
major activities, such as transplanting,
applying fertilizer, and harvesting on
weekends so that he could personally
demonstrate modern farm techniques
to his farmer-laborers.
“Sometimes, the laborers hesitate
to follow procedures because the tech-
nique does not conform to their old
farming practices. I patiently explain
the new procedures and tell them that
they are better than the old practices,”
he said.
Eventually, there was no more need
to “force” them to practice modern
ways of farming as they can see for
themselves the benefits of the technol-
ogy.
“The farmers in my neighboring
farm now trade their seeds for the
aerobic rice seeds that I harvest,” he
added.
Engaging students
As educator, Valdez exposes stu-
dents to the realities of farming. He
said that students had witnessed the
rigors of farming experienced
by their parents and the low
income they get from agriculture.
But, he said, he emphasizes to the
students what needs to be done to
shake off the stigma commonly associ-
ated to agriculture.
“As in life, farming
has ups and downs, but
proper management and
the use of new technologies
can do wonders,” he said.
BASC partnered with the leading
agricultural enterprise in Israel – the
International Agricultural Studies
Center under the Granot Group for the
internships of their students. As interns
in Israel, the students earn P20,000-
P25,000 a month by working in the
partners’ fields.
Other than the international expo-
sure, Valdez also encourages students
to visit farmers in their locality who
made it big in farming.
“The exposures are meant for them
to realize that there is gold in farming,”
he said.
But, although the exposures are
intended to showcase agriculture as
source of big money, the higher goal
is to engage them in realizing a deeper
purpose for what they are doing.
“I also want them to know that
as agriculture students, they have a
nobler goal in life, which is helping the
country become rice-self-sufficient,” he
said.
Reaping the fruits of efforts
As a result of his down-to-earth
leadership style, Josie Valdez received
awards.
Among others, he got the “2009
Excellence Award” – the highest
honors given by the Philippine Federa-
tion of Professional Associations, Inc;
Maramba Award for being an outstand-
ing agricultural engineer given by the
Philippine Association of Agricultural
Engineers in 2008; most distinguished
alumnus award given during the cen-
tennial celebration of the Central
Luzon State University (CLSU) in
2007; and recently, the Gintong Butil
Award from the CLSU Alumni Asso-
ciation.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
19
 T
heir job needs them to woo the
gods for water to irrigate many
fields. Now, they woo farmers,
too, to help save water.
The irrigation systems attached to
the National Irrigation Administration
(NIA) maintain and rehabilitate irriga-
tion canals, drainage channels, control
gates, and other important irrigation
infrastructure to regulate water release
for rice fields. Their jobs require them
to assure farmers of sufficient water in
their service areas.
However, with the onslaught of El
Niño, their job definitions now also
include promoting water-saving tech-
nologies and asking farmers to practice
managing field water efficiently. These
they do in collaboration with PhilRice.
Their situations are different. One

Irrigation
of them has more than enough water
for irrigation while the other has a
dwindling water level. The Magat River
(MARIIS) and Upper Pampanga River
Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS)
have only one voice, a voice that says

systems:
“save your water.”

MARIIS, UPRIIS, and PhilRice

Whether there is bountiful water
supply or almost none, MARIIS and
UPRIIS ask farmers to save water in
their fields. They work closely with

Water for you,

PhilRice through Engr. Evangeline
Sibayan in a project called “Adoption
of Controlled Irrigation in upstream
and midstream irrigated farms” to
advocate to the farmers Controlled

save it
Irrigation (CI) technology to efficiently
distribute water in their respective
service areas.
CI, also known as Alter-
nate Wetting and Drying
Ella Lois T. Bestil (AWD), is a water-saving
technology that makes
use of observation wells to
monitor the status of field
water which tells whether
there is a need to irrigate
the field and how much
water is needed. The prac-
tice is done from land prep-
aration until crop maturity.

20 ®

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

 UPRIIS observed that farmers
distribute water from paddy to paddy,
which in a way limits water to flow
in areas downstream. Only upstream
farmers have access to irrigation water.
This is why they welcomed PhilRice in
promoting CI to farmers.
“UPRIIS is not a research
institution to develop such
technologies. That’s why
we are glad PhilRice
collaborated with us to dis-
seminate the technology
because we want to gradu-
ally change the farmers’
attitudes on how to man-
age their field water,” Engr.
Carlito Gapasin, UPRIIS
Engineering and Operations
Division head, said.
Meanwhile, MARIIS collaborates
with LGUs and PAO to help dissemi-
nate information about CI to farmers.
They carry out technology briefings
and demonstrations with the help of
PhilRice.
“Water is very important,” Engr.
Mariano Dancel, MARIIS operations
manager, always reminds his farmers.
MARIIS gives incentives to farm-
ers who save water in their field. Their
Irrigators’ Association will likewise
receive an incentive from MARIIS if
their farmer-members are able to save
their water significantly.
But Dancel’s prime assurance to
farmers is that they will always have a
good standing crop in fields if water is
regulated and well managed.
The MARIIS and UPRIIS’ way
The areas covered by UPRIIS don’t
have problems in water. Currently, the
Pantabangan Dam water reservoir has
more than enough for Nueva Ecija.
In fact, Engr. Antonio Nangel, NIA-
UPRIIS operations manager, disclosed
of the system’s capability of providing
irrigation water to 80% of Nueva Ecija
as well as to its neighboring provinces.
The Magat River in Isabela supplies irrigation water to
municipalities in Isabela, Ifugao, and Quirino
“UPRIIS can still provide enough ir-
rigation water for the quick turnaround
or the third crop after the main and
dry season croppings and ratooning-
identified areas,” Nangel said.
Despite the bountiful
water resource, UPRIIS of-
ficials still pushed through
water saving advocacy. At
the system’s level, they ori-
ent their personnel to apply
CI. This way, farmer-mem-
bers of different Irrigators’
Associations under UPRIIS
technicians can observe the
outcome of using the tech-
nology.
Also, UPRIIS strongly promotes rice
ratooning because it needs only low
irrigation requirement and production
cost, and allows for high yields per
unit area in less time. Rice ratooning
is a technology where rice plants have
the ability to regenerate new tillers
after harvest. A ratooned crop has
shorter maturity and costs less than
growing a new crop.
On the other hand, MARIIS has a
different story to tell. Dancel said there
really was a problem in water espe-
cially in Isabela. There was enough
water supply for MARIIS’ service
areas only until January 28, 2010.
“Farmers through their respective
Irrigators’ Associations will
have to schedule for water release in
their fields,” Dancel said. Because of
that, MARIIS hurried to announce to
the farmers that water would not be
available for them if their area is not
covered by the scheduled water re-
lease. In fact, mobile sound systems
moved around to inform farmers of
the protocol in water release.
Not only that, they reduced their
water release requirement to 10%
last December and 30% in January.
They released water in a ‘7 days-
7days’ scheme which meant irrigat-
ing for a week then resting for water
release the following week.
Through such management, 95%
of their service areas that include
Quirino, Ifugao, and Isabela had
enough water supply for the standing
crop.
Owing to the need for water,
MARIIS saw best to rehabilitate their
water shed by planting trees.
Together, UPRIIS and MARIIS
sounded calls to farmers to help
them wash off the adverse effects of
the El Niño phenomenon by follow-
ing measures suggested to them for
adoption.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
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21
No-tillage technology:
tried, tested for climate puzzles
Ma. Adrielle D. Solsoloy

A
s the climate changes, the
need for change in farming
technology arises. That is, from
the conventional, traditional,
and reduced tillage technologies to the
no-tillage systems.
“I did not believe in this no-tillage
technology when introduced to us. But
we tried and tested it. And it worked!”
Dr. Manuel Jose Regalado, Chief Sci-
ence Research Specialist of PhilRice
and co-proponent of the no-tillage
technology, said.

“I’m thinking now of

recommending this technol-
ogy for further validation
in some Location-Specific
Technology Development
(LSTD) sites and its pos-
sible adoption to fight
drought or mitigate the
effects of climate change,”
Regalado added.
No-tillage is defined as a way of
growing crops from year to year with-
out disturbing the soil through tillage.
According to Regalado, the no-
tillage technology is different from the
zero-tillage technology. It is a method,
he said, that directly drills seeds into
undisturbed soil, with the use of a
zero-till planter or a slit seeder.
The process
Regalado, together with Engr. Isidro
Villaflor, former provincial agriculturist
of Nueva Ecija, led the experiments on
no-tillage technology conducted at the
Central Experiment Station of PhilRice
in the 2009 wet and dry seasons and
2010 DS. They refined the technique
originally developed by Villaflor and
Dr. Manuel Jose Regalado leads the research on no-tillage technology for irrigated rice lands.
compared its effectiveness with the
conventional method of rice growing
using intensive land preparation.
Based on their experiments, they
irrigate first the rice land. Then, they
allow the weeds to grow and apply
herbicide later to kill them. Two days
after spraying, they scatter on the
field rice straws and after another two
days, they flood the field with at least
2-3 cm-deep of water. With the use
of riding-type leveler attached to the
hand tractor, they press the stubbles
to the ground six days after flooding.
They repeated the pressing operation
six days after the first pressing.
“The method did away with several
processes in land preparation. It took
us only 15 days to prepare the land
compared with the 21 days in the
conventional tillage system, which
includes plowing, harrowing, and level-
ing,” Regalado said.
The tech and drought
Studies conducted by researchers
in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
showed that tilling the field reduces
the amount of water by around 1/3 to
¾ inch per pass due to evaporation.
By not tilling the field, the researchers
said the water stays in the soil, making
it available to rice plants.
Moreover, through the zero-tillage
technology, carbon remains under-
ground which is good for the storage

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APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

of the soil’s organic matter that can be
used by the rice plants.
Since the tillage system began a
few hundred years ago, Dr. Rattan Lal,
a scientist from the Ohio State Univer-
sity said that about 78 billion metric
tons of carbon trapped in the soil were
released in the form of carbon dioxide
that contributed to climate change or
global warming.
Generally, the zero-tillage technol-
ogy improves the soil quality, carbon,
organic matter, and aggregates; pro-
tects the soil from erosion and water
evaporation, and prevents structural
breakdown in the field.
Results of their study, Regalado
said, debunked the belief that the roots
are shorter if planted in a zero-tilled
land. The roots of randomly selected
rice plants planted in a zero-tilled and
tilled land showed minimal difference
indicating that roots of rice plants can
reach the level where water and nutri-
ents are available.
Other benefits
Aside from helping pre-
vent global warming and
providing partial solution
to water scarcity, the no-
tillage technology also
showed promising yield and
No-tilled and tilled land showed minimal difference in the length of the roots of rice plants, indi-
cating that crop grown in untilled lands can still get adequate water and nutrient supplies.
With the no-tillage technology, farmers can achieve good harvest during periods of drought.
lessened expenses in rice
production.
Regalado’s experiment showed
that the crop yield in zero-tillage was
significantly higher than with the yield
in conventional tillage during the 2009
WS. The variety used was PSB Rc82.
During the 2009 DS, however, the
expected yield was not met because it
was infested by stemborers owing to
the late seeding of the crop.
He also said that during the 2009
WS, labor productivity was higher
(69 vs. 59 kg paddy yield per man-
day), unit production cost was lower
(Php10.80/kg vs. Php12.60/kg), and
energy efficiency was higher (7.4 vs.
5.3 overall energy ratio) in zero-tillage
technology compared with the conven-
tional tillage technology.
Regalado’s field worker testified
that it was easier for him to level and
press the land if not tilled.
He cautioned, though, that the no-
tillage technology is just an alternative
technology offered for use when there
is drought condition. The drawback
is that “since no-tillage is compatible
only with direct seeding, the direct-
seeded crop may experience lodging,
especially during WS since the surface-
seeded crop might have roots that are
not anchored properly in the soil.”
During the dry season, the no-
tillage technology, especially at this
time of climate change usually spelled
out by prolonged dry spell, technology
adoption makes a difference.
Equipped with the knowledge of
the no-tillage technology, the farmers
can easily brace themselves for the
El Niño phenomenon and continue
achieving farm productivity and the
dreamed-of rice self-sufficiency in the
country.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
23

High yields, high optimism
amid limited water
I
t was their first time to try it. Then,
they said they’re going to use it
from then on. In fact, they experi-
enced a “high”— a high in farm-
ing, that is.
Andres Cabanilla, 45, of San
Antonio, Cauayan City, Isabela used it
twice in 2009 and loved it. His high
yield was enough evidence to commit
himself to a resolve to use it again and
again. The technology Cabanilla and
the others used was controlled irriga-
tion (CI).
CI was introduced to Cauayan
farmers in 2009 by PhilRice through
the Magat River Integrated Irrigation
System (MARIIS) based in Isabela.
In their first time to use
CI, the farmers belonging to
Sillawit Irrigators’ Associa-
tion in Cauayan were im-
mediately convinced about
the effectiveness of the
technology and they com-
mitted to use it in the suc-
ceeding seasons.
CI is a water-saving technology,
which is also known as Alternate
Wetting and Drying (AWD) system. It
makes use of observation “wells” that
determine the status of water in the
24 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
The observation “well” is used to determine the right time to irrigate.
field.
CI was promoted for use from land
preparation until maturity of the crop.
The farmers in the tail end of the ir-
rigation system still had water in their
fields because of the employment of
the CI technology.
“Of course, I am convinced,”
Catherine Damatan, 46, president of
the Sillawit Irrigators’ Association, said
when asked whether or not she will
use CI in the next cropping seasons.
“Through CI, I know when to irrigate
my field, and what I’m doing now is
better than before,” she added.
Water problems
and water saving
Passersby in Cauayan will never
think Isabela, which is one of the
provinces that reeled under the impact
of the El Niño phenomenon, had
problems in irrigation water. A cursory
look of the rice fields may lead them to
stop and ask what the farmers did to
mitigate the effects of drought.
It was true. Water became a big
problem in Cauayan. While some corn
and rice plants looked healthy yel-
low, most have the yellow of dryness,
descriptive of utter lack in water.
In Pedrito dela Cruz’s case, the field
of this 58-year-old farmer of Alinam,
Cauayan City lacked water when his
Photo: CGDacumos
Photo: CGDacumos
Ella Lois T. Bestil
rice plants were at their flowering
stage. As expected, as water is very
crucial at the plants’ flowering stage,
unfilled grains showed. Moreover, his
rice plants did not mature uniformly.
Meanwhile, Andres recalled that
during the dry spell in 2007, his field
prematurely dried up at the time the
plants still needed water. His harvest
dropped considerably.
Because of the drought, Catherine,
or Cathy, said some farmers became
laggards in farming. Some of them just
left their fields unattended for a crop-
ping season.
Now that there is CI, Cathy, who
tried successfully the technology,
has something to share to her fellow
farmers. Moreover, because of CI, the
use of irrigation water in Cauayan City
became efficient and rice plants looked
healthy even during the prolonged dry
spell.
Irrigation is controlled
through observation “wells”
installed in the fields by
pushing the “well” until its
bottom is 15-20 cm below
the ground. These observa-
tion wells allow farmers to
monitor the status of water
 in their field and help them
determine the appropriate
amount of water and timing
of irrigation.
Cathy said farmers immediately
irrigate their fields when they see that
the soil surface is dry. But, the use
of CI makes them less alarmed, she
added. irrigation technology.
“The observation wells tell them if
the field still has water of about 2-3
cm, which is not yet time to irrigate
the field,” Cathy said.
High after use
Andres is Villady Irrigators’ Associa-
tion president. He demonstrates his
mettle as a leader by sharing irrigation
water with his constituents, and the
expectation for better yield.
In his 6-ha field, Andres’ NSIC
Rc156 and 128 varieties were able
to yield 74-100 cavans/ha in the two
cropping seasons that he used an
observation well. The observation well
provided by PhilRice is a 25-cm long
plastic tube with a 10-cm diameter. It
has lined holes down the side of the
tube.
Perfecting its use,
Andres ‘counted’ 95
cavans/ha (4.75 t/
ha) harvest plus an
estimate of 25 cavans
(1.25 t/ha)more in his
unharvested fields this
Unlike his fellow farmers,
Photo: CGDacumos
Pedrito dela Cruz of Cau-
ayan City, Isabela is still
high in farming despite
his age. Thanks to CI
which gave him optimism
amid limited water.
season. Not only that, he was glad he
was able to share water for the fields
of other farmers.
It was Cathy’s first time to try CI
in her 24 years in farming. So was
Pedrito in his five years of farming.
Though they can’t still see the benefits
of CI to their rice yields, they were glad
to see other farmers benefit from this
“CI allowed me to share irrigation
water to others while my field doesn’t
need much yet,” Pedrito said. He said
that while his field is not in need of
irrigation water yet, the flow is diverted
to those which need much water.
“We are now able to help each other
instead of fighting each other to get
irrigation water,” he said.
“Now that they can see how my
rice plants grow healthy even with little
Andres Cabanilla of Cauayan City, Isabela saved
a lot of resources from adapting CI that he still
has some to alot for quite a fine living.
surface water, they become vibrant
again, thanks to the CI technology! I’m
sure that when they use this technol-
ogy, they too can experience the ‘high’
that I have been experiencing now,”
she added.
Upshot
PhilRice Engr. Evangeline Sibayan,
head of the CI technical working
group, said farmers practicing CI were
able to apply the right amount of water
at the right time.
“There was no ponded or
stock water during tillering
stage and the farmers were
able to maintain 5-7 cm
water depth from flower-
ing to grain filling,” Sibayan
said.
In fact, in her project, Adoption of
Controlled Irrigation in upstream and
midstream irrigated farms, Sibayan
found a 15-35% cut in irrigation re-
quirement without yield reduction.
Moreover, NIA was able to dis-
tribute 1.0 million cubic meters of
water for 60-68 ha from its usual 50
ha distribution. Farmers now irrigate
once every 10 days instead of the old
practice of once a week.
The impact of the technology has
led to the release of an administrative
order from the Department of Agricul-
ture mandating the adoption of water-
saving technologies in all irrigation
systems in the country. The guidelines
Photo: CGDacumos
have prompted NIA, Bureau of Soils
and Water Management (BSWM), DA-
Regional Field Units (DA-RFUs), Phil-
Rice, and Agricultural Training Institute
(ATI) to provide technical support and
assistance to cooperating Irrigators’
Associations (IA) in implementing such
technologies.
Aside from CI, the guidelines stipu-
lated other sound water-saving field
management practices for farmers to
apply, such as dry-plowing instead of
puddling, direct dry- or wet-seeding
instead of transplanting, thorough
leveling, use of internal farm ditches,
shallow tillage immediately after
harvest, and use of early-maturing
and drought-tolerant varieties. (with
reports from Christina A. Frediles)
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
25

Modified Dry Direct Seeding
Technique contends with El Niño
Marc Elvin T. Lozano
D
o saving money, reducing
labor, and increasing produc-
tivity in rice production during
El Niño sound ridiculous?
They do not if are aware, that is, of a
technology that squarely answers the
problem associated with the prolonged
dry spell.
Usually, in areas where rainfall is
unpredictable, many farmers practice
the old system of dry seeding. The
plants, as a result, oftentimes grow
poorly due to over-drying of the seeds.
Predictably, the farmers are hustled
26 ®
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
and forlorn. They become encumbered
in the thoughts that their practice
would not be able to provide much
harvest from their rice lands.
This predicament of the farmers
pushed PhilRice Batac, in collabora-
tion with some farmers and local
government unit technicians, to modify
the usual dry direct seeding technique
practiced in rice-growing areas.
The Modified Dry Direct Seeding
Technology (MDDST) improved tradi-
tional direct seeding method. It also
reduced labor. Income in production,
Dr. Dindo Tabanao
prepares rice DNA for
polymerase chain
reaction (PCR).
as a result of the use of MDDST, is
also increased.
The modifications
The former DDST uses dry seeds
on dry soil. This is done by leveling,
weeding, and harrowing the field until
the clods become as fine as the seeds.
Direct seeding requires 120 kg/ha
or more seeds for optimum productiv-
ity.
On the other hand, MDDST needs
60 to 80 kg/ha of certified seeds. It
uses pre-germinated seeds on moist
soil. With this technology, rice seeds
are sown uniformly on a well lithao-
prepared furrow, preferably at dawn or
dusk, when the upper 25-30 cm depth
of the soil is moist.
According to Samuel P. Liboon,
lead researcher of MDDST, the broad-
cast seeds must be covered with soil
by passing a wooden plank, drawn
diagonally with the direction of the fur-
row by a farm animal or a small hand
tractor.
“The reason for cover-
ing the seeds is to have a
soil-seed-water contact for
faster seed emergence,”
Liboon added.
Since weeds in direct seeding are
not as manageable as in transplant-
ing, herbicides should be applied after
covering the seeds.
Development of varieties
MDDST is a technology covering
only the sowing stage of rice produc-
tion. As the plants grow, it may lead
to rainfed flooding and therefore, this
technology is a form of “lowland” rice
cultivation. In cases of unflooded fields
from sowing to harvesting, develop-
ment of aerobic rice is now being
undertaken.
For many years now, PhilRice in
collaboration with IRRI, has been
developing aerobic rice technology as
a mitigating measure for limited water
supply.
To help increase
rice production
in drought-prone
areas, PhilRice
currently evaluates
the drought toler-
ance level of some
varieties.
“What we are trying to
start now is the develop-
ment of genotypes that are
themselves designed for
aerobic cultivation,” said
plant breeder Dr. Dindo
Tabanao.
Water-saving techniques for ir-
rigated lowland cultivation have been
designed to reduce water consumption
without adversely affecting the yield.
“But ultimately, the plant itself
has to be redesigned if it is to adapt
to moisture conditions more radical
than just alternate wetting and drying,”
Tabanao added.
As the study for varieties progress-
es, PhilRice has been recommending
the use of drought-tolerant varieties
such as PSB Rc14. This variety can
give a yield advantage of 1.6 t/ha using
the MDDST over those planted using
the traditional farmers’ practice.
Another newly released PhilRice-
bred variety for drought-prone areas is
the NSIC Rc 192 or Sahod Ulan 1 for
rainfed lowland.
Is it really ridiculous?
Alma C. Aguinaldo of PhilRice Batac
reported that farmer-cooperators in Re-
gion I and Abra harvested 7 t/ha using
the MDDST.
By maximizing the use of available
soil moisture, farmers can save P2,500
to P3,500 per hectare on seedbed
preparation, pulling, and transplanting
costs.
Moreover, “farmers can plant other
crops earlier to use the soil’s residual
moisture,” Aguinaldo said.
She added that the farmers who
tried MDDST experienced increase in
net income by P16,000 to P18,000
per hectare.
If the farmers in the rainfed areas
wait for rain before they transplant,
chances are their plants will be more
exposed to typhoons and droughts. On
the other hand, delayed transplanting
because of insufficient water lessens til-
lers, hence, there is less production and
income. With the use of the MDDST,
farmers in rainfed areas can plant on
time and harvest in the early weeks of
September without depending so much
on rain water.
Water scarcity is one of the loom-
ing realities brought about by climate
change. With the use of new technology
and variety, however, saving money,
reducing labor, and increasing produc-
tivity in rice production during El Niño
does not sound so ridiculous after all.
APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
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27
 GLOBAL RICE UPDATE
Compiled by Elaine E. Joshi, Librarian

Farmers to get free in courses on how to use computers, surf websites, and study
on the internet. Useful and popular websites for farmers will

computers in plan to also be introduced. (http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/

Agriculture/198619/Farmers-to-get-free2010/04/15)

boost production Eco-concrete made

A US$1.57 million project to provide free computers
to 1,296 communes is going to take place in Vietnam this
year. According to Truong Thanh Phong, Chairman of the
Viet Nam Food Association (VFA), this is aimed at helping
farmers to take advantage of information available on the
Internet about new rice growing methods, the agricultural
material market and the rice consumer market. Farm-
ers will be able to improve their production and make
decisions on the rice they will grow, when to sell their
products and the price they should set. He further said
that with the information of market movement, buyers
will have less control on farmers. Le Hoang Minh, Deputy
Chairman of VFA’s Central Committee, said that farmers
will be able to contact and consult industry experts and
scientists via the Internet to deal with the current epidem-
ics on their breeds and seeds.
The computers will be set up at the headquarters of
commune-level people’s committees or experienced farm-
ers’ houses to be easily accessible. Farmers will take part
from rice husk
Concrete made from rice husk and coal ash waste is being
developed in a scheme to tackle climate change. Traditional
methods of concrete production release large quantities of
CO2 into the atmosphere. British and Indian researchers are
working together on the scheme to cut the carbon footprint of
concrete.
A major component of traditional concrete is Portland
cement, which for every tonne of cement produced, about
one tonne of CO2 is released in the atmosphere. As a result,
concrete production amounts to approximately 5% of global
CO2 emissions. Dr. Kevin Paine, from the University of Bath,
said: “Concrete is the second most used material in the world
after water, and so reducing the CO2 emissions produced by
it could make a real difference to climate change.” (http://
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_
and_central/8616406.stm 2010/04/13)

There’s more to rice than boiling it!

You could make it as a dessert like this featured cool rice recipe.

Fruity Rice
Fruit topping In a medium bowl, combine
1 can fruit cocktail fruit cocktail, all-purpose
1 box all-purpose cream cream, raisins, and condensed
1/8 cup raisins milk. Set aside.
2 tablespoons condensed milk
In a medium saucepan, combine milk and water. Stir over medium heat without
boiling. Continue cooking until sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil
Rice mixture
and add rice. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until nearly all the liquid is
1 cup evaporated milk
absorbed. Let stand for 10 more minutes.
½ cup sugar
1 cup glutinous rice, cooked Press the rice mixture in a 7” x 7” baking pan using a spatula. Top rice layer
¼ cup water with fruit salad. Set aside.

Gelatin In a medium saucepan, combine fruit cocktail juice, water, and gelatin. Stir over
1 ½ cup fruit cocktail juice medium heat until gelatin is dissolved.
1 ½ cup water Pour on top of the rice and fruits layer. Cover with food wrap and
3 tablespoon clear gelatin refrigerate for several hours before serving.

28 ®

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2
®
29
Low inco
me? Ne
c
w
e
New Knowledge Products
ion on ri
informat he
in g m ight be t ur
farm fo
a copy o
key! Get ations and
lic
new pub ledge
other kn
produc t
ow
s, now! Rice Technology Bulletins
Trichoderma: Biofungicide for Vegetables
This print material features the benefits of Trichoderma sp. as an
alternative to commercial fungicide. Includes procedures for the
production and application of Trichoderma to effectively manage
vegetable crop diseases.

Biofertilizer Production: Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM)

It includes procedures for the production and application of VAM.
VAM is a biological fertilizer alternative, which can help farmers
reduce production cost (fertilizer expenses) by 60-80 percent.

Barayti ng Palay handog ng PhilRice (PhilRice-Developed Rice

Varieties) 2007-2009
The publication showcases 15 rice varieties developed by PhilRice
with other partner institutions/agencies for different rice ecosystems.

Rice Straw-Based Nutrient Management for Irrigated Lowland Rice

This bulletin summarizes information on how to utilize the most common and abun-
dant rice production byproduct, rice straw, and how it can be used to enhance soil
productivity.

Management of Zinc-Deficient Soils

This revised version presents information on Zn and its role in the growth of the rice
plant, the causes of Zn deficiency, and the characteristics common to Zn-deficient
lowland rice soils.

Books
Facts and Myths about Organic Fertilizers
You think you know much about organic fertilizers?
Think again! This book sheds light on some of the ma-
jor disputes and misconceptions about organic and
inorganic fertilizers.

Grain Quality of Philippine Rice

Written by National Scientist
Bienvenido Juliano, the book illustrates how the
Filipino’s need and preference for the quality
of rice have evolved over the years, and how the breeding
and varietal improvement activities have responded to such changes.
This book consolidates, for the first time, data on grain quality of Philip-
pine Seed Board and National Seed Industry Council rice varieties
released in the Philippines from 1999 to 2009.
 Corporate Publications
IRRI-Philippines: 50 years of progress in fighting poverty
and hunger
This coffee table book, with about 380 pages and 850
pictures - is a pictorial history of IRRI and PhilRice. It tells a
beautiful story from IRRI’s initial success in producing the
seed of Green Revolution to its joint efforts with PhilRice in
harnessing the cutting edge of science to overcome rice
production problems due to insect pests and diseases,
unfavorable environments, and climate change.

Isang Bukas na Liham ni Ka-Ronnie ng PhilRice

(An Open Letter from Ronnie of PhilRice)
An open-letter-format book from PhilRice’s Executive Direc-
tor discussing location-specific technology development
and PalayCheck.

Ani: TCP4 Project End Report

This magazine-format report relates the results,
experiences, and lessons learned from the Technical
Cooperation Project 4 (TCP4) or Rice-based farming sys-
tems and training support program for ARMM.

Online
Rice R & D Highlights
An online storage and
retrieval system of
Research & Develop-
ment results published
by PhilRice from 1990 to
2009.

Video
Rice conservation video
Filipinos waste some 660,000 bags of rice annually due to wasteful
handling, preparation, and eating. The video in DVD format, pres-
ents tips on lessening this wastage to help achieve the country’s
elusive goal of rice self-sufficiency.

APRIL-JUNE 2010, Vol. 23 No. 2

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31
Water line. With properly maintained dikes
and ditches, even water distribution and
drainage are ensured.

PHILIPPINE RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Central Experiment Station

Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija
Tel.: 53(044) 456-0113, -0285, -0258 • Telefax 63 (044) 456-0649, -0651, -0652 loc.511 or 512
E-mail: prri@philrice.gov.ph • Website: http://www.philrice.gov.ph
Text: 0920-911-1398

Entered as second class mail at Postal Region III under Permit No. 91