DA-PhilRice - Farmers urged to practice recommended seeding rate (2024)
The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) urges farmers to follow the recommended seeding rate in rice production for better yields and reduced production cost.
Seeding rate refers to the amount of rice seeds planted per hectare. DA-PhilRice recommends 40kg per hectare for transplanted rice while 60-80kg per hectare is promoted for direct-seeded.
“When this is followed, rice plants grow healthier because it can receive sufficient sunlight and evenly absorb nutrients from the soil. It can also help produce productive tillers, which would mean higher yields. This recommendation results in good yield and lower far expenses,” Rizal Corales, chief science research specialist atDA-PhilRice, explained.
Previously, the usual seeding rate of ourfarmers ranges from 200-250kg/ha. ManyFilipino farmers are using around 100-150kg of seeds per hectare. Some farmersnote that extra seedlings serve as “buffer” during attacks of pests like snailsand birds.
However, Corales noted that planting beyond the recommended rate makes farmers spend more and yields unabundant harvest because the plants may produce fewer tillers owing to close spacing, which affects the plants’ ability to receive sunlight and nutrients.
“If we compute it, thereare at least 1.6 million seeds in 40kg. A one-hectare farm needs 750,000 seedlings,at 3 seedlings per hill. If high-quality seeds have a germination rate of atleast 85%, then 40kg seeds can produce 1.3 million seedlings. There could bearound 600,000 extra seedlings that farmers can use for replanting in caseswhen pests cause damage,” Corales stressed.
Meanwhile, DA-PhilRicethrough its Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program alsoensures that farmers are equipped and empowered to follow the recommendedpractice through its services in its 42 target provinces.
“High-quality seeds havehigh germination rate. Farmers are assured that 40kg is enough because mostseeds will germinate. Farmers used to struggle in following the recommendation becausethey do not have access to high-quality seeds. They source planting materialsfrom their own harvests or from fellow farmers, so seeds did not undergo qualitycontrol. Now, access to high-quality is easier with the RCEF-Seed Program,”Corales, also the head of the program’s field operation unit, said.
The RCEF Seed Program alsoconducts technology demonstrations called PalaySikatan to showcase theeffect of using the recommended seeding rate, alongside other moderntechnologies and practices. Farm machines such as drum seeder, seed spreader,precision spreader, and drone seeder for direct seeding, and riding-type andwalk-behind type mechanical transplanter for transplanting allow a more preciseapplication of the recommended seeding rate.
Recent reports of the monitoring and evaluation studyof DA-PhilRice in the 42 target provinces of the RCEF Seed Program showed thatfarmers have reduced the amount of seeds they used to 86 kg during the 2021 dryseason, and later to 76kg during the 2021 wet season. He attributes it to the varied efforts topromote and teach farmers to follow the practice.
“We hope to further reduce the seedingrate with the use of farm machinerybeing used and showcased in varioustechnology demonstration sites established nationwide,” he mentioned.
Dr. Flordeliza Bordey,DA-PhilRice RCEF Program Management Office head, noted that following therecommended seeding rate also proves to be advantageous on a macro scale.
“If farmers in RCEF’starget areas follow the recommendation, it would mean more farmers can bereached and more rice areas can be planted through the program. At most, ouroverall production can increase and there will be more sources of our country’sstaple food,” she said.
The RCEF-Seed Program is a componentof Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law, which allots P10 billion fundsevery year for the rice farmers from the rice tariff earnings of the country.The program is a six-year government initiative to help farmers compete in theinternational rice market. The local government units and lawmakers assist inits implementation.DA-PhilRiceleads the RCEF-Seed Program and is the government’s lead agency on riceresearch and development mandated to help ensure a rice-secure Philippines.
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government corporate entity under the Department of Agriculture created through Executive Order 1061 on 5 November 1985 (as amended) to help develop high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.
recommends 40kg per hectare for transplanted rice while 60-80kg per hectare is promoted for direct-seeded. “When this is followed, rice plants grow healthier because it can receive sufficient sunlight and evenly absorb nutrients from the soil.
For conservation purposes, seeding rates have been established to achieve the desired plant density of around 20-60 live seeds per square foot. These figures are fairly standard when figuring seeding rates except when you are dealing with very large or very small seed sizes (e.g. eastern gamagrass vs.
Low income is the main problem of millions of farmers who are cultivating 4.81 million hectares in the Philippines. This problem is attributed to challenges specifically low yield, low quality of produce, and significant post-harvest losses, particularly in a resource-scarce setting.
In general, rice can be planted after the last spring frost when the soil temperatures are above 55°, but no greater than 90°. Planting Rate: 80-100 lbs.per acre for drilled spacing (6-8 inches apart).
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) To ensure food security and to make the country's agriculture sector viable, efficient and globally competitive, Republic Act no. 11203, otherwise known as the “Rice Tariffication Law” was promulgated.
The recommended seeding rates for overseeding vary slightly depending on grass type and the condition of the lawn. Nevertheless, a general guideline is to apply 15 to 25 grams of grass seed per square meter of lawn.
The issues facing Filipino farmers include limited farm size, poor knowledge in production and marketing, difficulties accessing finance, and lack of support services, infrastructure, and access to markets.
It is estimated that by 2050, the world's rice supply could decrease by almost 20% due to climate change. Conventional rice farming also significantly contributes to climate change, accounting for about 10% of global man-made methane emissions and consuming nearly 30% of the world's fresh water.
Using the seeding rate calculation equation {(Seed/ac factor) / (seed/pound) = pound/ac} it is determined that the proper seeding rate is 2.0 PLS pounds/ acre. (871,200 seed/acre) / (427,365 seed/pound) = 2.039 or 2.0 PLS #/ac.
Moreover, the recommended seeding rate for Direct Wet-Seeded Rice (DWSR) is 40-60 kg/ha for row seeding and 60-80 kg/ha for broadcast seeding. “For TPR, make a seedbed with enough space and water sources for seedlings to grow.
In May, USDA's Commodity Costs and Returns re-confirmed that input costs for all major crops were indeed at a record in 2022, ranging from $431 per acre for wheat, $621 per acre for soybeans, $876 per acre for cotton, $911 per acre for corn, and at or above $1,200 per acre for both rice and peanuts.
The rice theory of culture argues that traditional paddy rice farming caused rice-farming cultures to become more collectivistic than wheat-farming cultures1,2. Paddy rice required irrigation networks and labor demands double those of wheat, which tied farmers together in tight, interdependent relationships.
Farm subsidies were devised as a remedy for the farm crisis during the Great Depression when agriculture was a far more important part of the U.S. economy than today. The subsidies were intended to keep farmers on the land producing crops the government deemed essential, including rice, wheat, corn, cotton and barley.
The Golden Rice program's objective is, following consumption, to increase circulating vitamin A levels in the blood to counteract vitamin A deficiency, thereby boosting immunity to common diseases and significantly reducing childhood blindness, of which vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause.
If you seed (upload) a full copy of your downloaded content, you have a 1:1 sharing ratio. Private trackers require members to maintain at least a 1:1 sharing ratio to ensure members contribute to their communities. This means members must seed (upload) the same amount they leech (download) and, in some cases, more.
A germination rate of 90% or more is very good for most species. Some species may have lower germination rates, but because the seed is small and/or abundant, a rate of 70% to 80% is perfectly acceptable. Other species may naturally have lower germination rates.
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