Modified rice dry seeding developed

Researchers of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Batac, Ilocos Norte have modified the traditional dry seeding method in rainfed lowland farms to produce higher rice yield and income.

With the modified technique, farmers would also be able to plant a second or even a third crop after the rice crop by using zero tillage and straw mulch provided water is properly managed during the wet season.

Samuel P. Liboon, research team leader, reported that the rice yields of farmer-cooperators in Pidigan, Abra increased by 1,063 to 3,374 kg/ha over the traditional method. One cooperator harvested 6,674 kg/ha with the modified technique, which was 3,374, kg/ha higher than his yield in the previous year. Farmer-cooperators in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union also obtained yields ranging from 5,212 to 6,798 kg/ha.

The modified technique requires that moisture in the soil is already 20 cm deep, which means that seeding is done soon after the first heavy rains in May and June come. In contrast to the dry seeds used in the traditional method, the modified technique uses moist and pre-germinated seeds. Likewise, the amount of seeds (80 kg/ha) is lower than that in the traditional method (200 kg/ha). The seeds are broadcast uniformly on well-pulverized furrows prepared with a "lithao".

A wooden plank drawn by a farm animal is passed diagonally to the direction of the furrows to cover the seeds. Thus, the seeds broadcast on the ridge are thrown into the furrows. With the modified technique, there is better distribution of the seeds and better contact between the seeds and the moist soil. Since the soil already has substantial amount of moisture, pre-emergence herbicide can be applied one to two days after seeding to prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Dry seeding with modified technique is more efficient than the traditional method because it requires only one to two man-days per hectare for broadcasting and covering the seeds with a wooden plank.

Moreover, the improved technique saves a total of 17 man-days of labor per hectare. Its total labor cost is 15 percent lower than that in the traditional method. – Sosimo Ma. Pablico