Harvest Time
New technology saves ex-trike driver from low income
By Sosimo Ma. Pablico
A former tricycle driver in Rizal, Nueva Ecija has discovered that by using the new rice technology coupled with patience and diligence, a hectare of land would be more than enough to provide the needs of his family.
That farmer, Pedro Panahon Jr., was a tricycle driver earning at most P100 a day while taking care of his 1.176 hectare rice farm. More than two years ago, the farm’s average yield was only 4 t/ha, which is appallingly low.
Five cropping seasons ago, his barangay, Agbannawag, was selected as a site for the third technical cooperation project of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and PhilRice (Philippine Rice Research Institute). He got interested in the project after learning that it would be teaching the new rice technology to its cooperators through a farmers’ field school (FFS). Thus, he decided to set aside his tricycle and participate as a cooperator.
Jun, 46, tried hard to get a complete grasp of the new technology by attending all sessions at the FFS. He never missed a single session of the 22 sessions during the 2006 wet season. Of the 50 questions in the post-test, he got 80 percent.
In the first season of the project, 2005 wet season, he transplanted PSB Rc14 and harvested 4.90 t/ha, which was 610 kg higher than his harvest of the same variety (4.29 t/ha) in 2004 wet season. In the following season, 2006 dry season, he harvested 12.19 t/ha from a drum seeded private hybrid. This was 4.76 tons higher than his yield from the same variety, which was also drum seeded, in 2005 dry season, indicating an increase of 64 percent.
Like other farmers, however, Jun has already learned that it is risky to plant hybrid rice during the wet season. Thus, he transplanted PSB Rc82 in 2006 wet season, hoping that its yield would be better than PSB Rc14. True enough, he harvested 6.27 t/ha, indicating an increase of 1.37 tons or 28 percent over 2005 wet season.
He shifted back to the private hybrid in 2007 dry season, which he drumseeded, but the yield decreased to 9.46 t/ha. Although this was 2.73 t/ha or 29 percent lower than his yield in 2006 dry season, it can still be considered a great improvement over his performance before the project.
Jun explained, however, that his 2007 dry season crop was damaged by golden kuhol. The field was irrigated seven days after seeding by Bunso, his youngest son. This allowed the snails to come out from the soil and eat the newly germinating seedlings. Good enough, he immediately replanted the damaged areas. He said a yield of 10 t/ha would have been low were it not for the damage.
He recalls that before the project, seminars were already being conducted in the barangay by technicians of agro-chemical companies “but were not as extensive as now,” Jun added, referring to their weekly FFS conducted by the project’s technologists. Take note, private companies were the ones conducting seminars before the project, but for the purpose of selling their products.
Comparing the past with his present practices as a result of the FFS, he said everything in the past was done in a hurry. “Land preparation in the past was done in a hurry; planting was done after one week of preparing the land. Right now, land preparation reaches one month to fully decompose the weeds and rice straw,” he said.
What’s more, “each parcel is completely leveled before planting, unlike before when the land had lots of high and low spots, which is a shame and irritating to the eyes,” Jun added.
While he was seeding 120 to 160 kg of seeds in the past, the amount has been greatly reduced to 42 kg, thereby saving on seed cost. Whenever he finds that the population of friendly insects is higher than insect pests, he no longer bothers to spray insecticides.
He also learned to time the application of fertilizer based on the maturity date of the variety, as he top dresses three bags 17-0-17 at 65 days before harvest. For basal fertilization, he applies four bags of complete fertilizer (17-7-17) and two bags ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). At 5 to 10 percent panicle emergence, he applies a bag of urea (45-0-0).
He now practices what he calls alternate irrigation during the dry season – four days with water and three days without water. During the wet season, he drains the field every now and then to prevent lodging. He explained that lodging occurs even as the variety has strong stems if the crop is continuously flooded. There’s no need to economize on irrigation water during the wet season, as the water supply is more than enough, he said.
He harvests his crop at 85 percent maturity to minimize shattering of the grains.
Finally, he allows the rice straw to decompose – one important practice that he has learned from the project is to return some of the nutrients absorbed by the rice plants from the soil.
Jun said that after the project in 2010 he will continue to consult with PhilRice researchers, as the national rice agency will continue to exist. Besides, PhilRice is not so far from Rizal, he said.
(Readers may reach columnist at spablico@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/harvest-time/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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