As
the country sees the prospect of achieving 103-percent rice self-sufficiency
for the first semester of this year, the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice), the country’s lead in rice science and development, is
strengthening its researches on organic rice farming to help sustain the
country’s rice production in the coming years.
The
rice self-sufficiency projection was stated in a memorandum to Agriculture
Secretary Proceso J. Alcala by Assistant Secretary Dante S. Delima and recently
presented to Manila-based reporters.
With
its new advocacy, Clean, green, practical, and smart farming for
competitiveness, sustainability, and resiliency (Clean GPS for CSR), PhilRice
continues to develop and evaluate new and farmers’ practices that will optimize
organic rice farming.
“Organic
farming is not only about applying manure and rice-straw in the field. There’s
science in it. It is our aim to make farmers and extension workers understand
the science of organic farming to avoid misinterpretations,” Ed Libetario,
branch manager of PhilRice in Negros Occidental, said. PhilRice converted this
station to be its center for organic rice farming last year.
To
help farmers get the most from organic farming, PhilRice assesses the
efficiency of organic matters on rice varieties, identifies the effectiveness
of commercially-available compost inoculants and effects of organic rice
cultures on grain yield and soil, and determines the occurrence and
distribution of pest in organic rice ecosystems.
Studies
on managing insect pests through microbial control agents and traditional
plants are also PhilRice priorities in its research on organic rice farming.
Furthermore,
PhilRice, which was recently cited for meeting at least 90 percent of its
targets in 2012, conducts a long-term study on the use of organic fertilizers.
Started in 2003, the study found that in last year’s dry season, plots treated
with chicken manure produced the highest yield at about 7 t/ha.
However,
the yield is not significantly different from rice plots applied with fresh
rice straw, rice straw with effective microorganism base inoculants, and wild
sunflower. The lowest yield, about 5 t/ha, was harvested from plots applied
with commercial organic fertilizers.
With
the high yield potential of rice varieties, which demands higher nutrient
inputs, PhilRice researchers are identifying whether pure organic-based
nutrient application will be enough to gain the highest yield that can be
harvested from rice varieties.
Libetario
said that understanding the relationship among the varieties, soils, and farm
conditions are crucial for better organic rice production.
“When
farmers do organic rice farming, they must not only look in the nutrients to be
applied, but the entire farm ecosystem. It’s not enough that farmers know the
quantity of organic fertilizers to be applied, but also how to manage these
contents to lessen the toxicity they emit to the environment. Remember that manure contains methane, (which
is more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide),” he explained.
Libetario
added that through researches, “clean, green, practical, and smart” organic
rice farm practices will soon be developed and promoted to the farmers by
PhilRice.
While
the research on organic rice farming is ongoing, PhilRice advocates the
balanced use of organic and inorganic nutrients, not only to cut costs but to
make rice farming more sustainable.