Agriculture Business Week

One important thing that farmers must keep in mind is that the key to successful technology adoption is to determine what practices are suitable for one’s farm.

Three farmers have exemplified this commendable ability when they adopted the PalayCheck system, a dynamic integrated crop management system that the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) promotes for increased rice yield.

A farmer-cooperator in the first demonstration trial on PalayCheck in 2006, Cipriano Claur of Luttuad, Diffun, Quirino has been completely receptive to PalayCheck since it was introduced to Luttuad farmers by PhilRice. This 46-year-old farmer followed all the eight key checks of the system and increased his yield from 6.3 tons per hectare (t/ha) to 9.1 t/ha, which was a 45 percent increase in grain yield.

“Claur’s yield was the highest in the area,” said Alfredo R. Esquibal, agricultural technologist in the locality. “Others who also achieved all the key checks just got around 5 t/ha.”

Asked what he did, Claur said, “Since pest was a common problem in our area, I decided to plant in my 1.5-hectare farm two varieties with different resistance and susceptibility to pests to increase my chances of getting a good yield.”

He planted PSB Rc82 known as Penaranda in I ha as it was resistant to blast, and PSB Rc72H known as Mestizo 1 in the remaining area for it had a high yield potential. So if ever one variety got infested, at least he still had another variety to earn from to compensate his losses.

“Combining the key checks with their proven techniques just like what Claur did is what really makes the PalayCheck a dynamic system. We don’t want to box farmers because they may know some techniques appropriate in their locality that we may not know,” said Dr. Rolando T. Cruz, PalayCheck project leader and scientist at PhilRice.

Ernesto and Charito Bustria of Poblacion. Mabini, Pangasinan-had a similar experience. They modified a few key checks in the dry season of 2007 and increased their yield from 6.1 t/ha to 9.8 t/ha. But unlike Claur, the couple only achieved six key checks, missing the first and third key checks which are the use of certified seeds and practice of synchronous planting, respectively.

The couple’s failure to get the first check, however, was intentional. “We really wanted to use the produce of the registered seeds we got from PhilRice because we are more confident with these than with those sold in seed centers,” Charito said. “Sometimes, the seeds they sell here do not really have the quality of certified seeds, but our seeds do. We rogued and dried these properly so we believed that we still got the first check.”

They are not also sad to have missed practicing synchronous planting, which according to studies could result in a significant yield loss as following this key check lessens the occurrence of infestation. But given the chance, they said’ they would plant synchronously with other farmers. However, it was too late for them to do so at that time because the technology came in late.

“They missed the third key, which I believed was the crucial key,” said Delia Ariston, agricultural technologist in the locality. “But their field was not infested and they still got good yield.”

This was because they planted a variety that was resistant to pests, and their farm had a fallow period of two months, which prevented the occurrence of infestation, according to Ernesto.

And yet the couple attributed their good yield to their nutrient management technique. They used zinc sulfate as basal fertilizer and top-dressed the field with 0-0-60 or muriate of potash (MOP). This is recommended to increase the number and quality of grains in the panicles. Then when the heading of the rice plants reached 50 percent, they mixed one can of MOP with water equivalent in a knapsack sprayer, and sprayed MOP three times within six days with two days interval. All in all, they used only 2 kg of MOP which just costs P100.

They also attributed the high yield to the chicken manure they applied four years ago, which according to PhilRice experts is very likely since chicken dung has a cumulative fertility effect.

Modifications such as these, said Cruz. just show that PalayCheck is indeed a dynamic system. However, modifications still need to be re-evaluated to ensure high production.

“Achieving the key checks does not guarantee the highest yield because production can be affected by many factors. Yet studies suggest that achieving all eight key checks is still best,” Cruz explained. “But it’s not just merely achieving the key checks. The adoption of PalayCheck involves thinking… for new management practices could be location-specific and adjustments should be made to obtain optimum yield.”

By Hazel V. Antonio