Two new ways of protecting rice seeds

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has developed two ways of protecting rice seeds in storage. These are the STM (admixture seed treatment machine) and saclob.

The STM optimizes the use and efficiency of chemicals for treating seeds for storage by ensuring that the right volume is applied and absorbed by the seeds that have reached a moisture content of 12 percent or lower. The seeds first pass through the STM a one-liter solution containing 28 milliliters (ml) pirimiphosmethyl and 30 ml deltamethrin. A liter of this solution is good for a ton of seeds.

Then the seeds are packed in properly labeled bags.

PhilRice engineers found that the STM technology keeps hybrid rice Mestizo 1 seeds free from weevil in six months. They said STM is intended to prevent pest infestation and not to control pests that are already present in the seeds, which should be fumigated.

The engineers said that although seed treatment using STM may involve higher cost, this can be compensated with the savings from seed loss during storage.

The saclob takes its name from the Filipino word saclob, which means cover. It is a hermetic or airtight seed storage enclosure made of tarpaulin sheets that shields stored seeds from pest infestation.

PhilRice engineers Ricardo Orge and John Eric Abon said the initial model had a capacity of 200 bags containing 20 kilograms of seeds each. The capacity of the latest model has been reduced to 48 bags so the produce of one seed production lot could be accommodated in one saclob. The size can be adjusted to fit the special requirements of a seed grower.

A saclob can be opened at the top and the seeds are placed inside.

The cost of a local saclob is 93 percent lower than the imported model and the storage cost is only P1.98 per bag per month.

The Davao Oriental Seed Producers Cooperative and Roxas Hybrid Rice Development Multi-Purpose Cooperative are now using the STM, while other seed grower’s cooperatives in Isabela and Iloilo are interested in the saclob. —   S.Ma. Pablico and M.G. Layaoen