Many farmers believe that it is costly to plant on time. It’s because the cost of labor increases due to labor shortage caused by the high demand for farm work. So they tend to plant early or late to save on labor. But are they really saving money with this practice? No.
A PhilRice Study in 2008 showed that not practicing synchronous planting or planting on time, which is the third key check of the PalayCheck System, results in a yield as low as 4.3 tons per hectare (t/ha). This is due to pest infestation, which the occurrence of can be limited by following this key check.
According to Dr. Rolando Cruz, leader of the PalayCheck System project and a scientist at PhilRice, planting on time does not only help farmers achieve key check 3 but also key check 7, which underscores pest management. And because synchronous planting limits the occurrence of pests, he adds, it also reduces the expenses on pesticides as well as the labor that goes with it.
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