Experts at the Philippine Rice Research Institute urge farmers
not to burn rice straws, locally known as dayami,
for environmental and economic reasons.
Burning of rice straws,
generally practiced during the harvest season, causes air pollutants such as
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and Sulphur dioxide. If
continually done, it will decrease soil’s nitrogen, 25% of phosphorus, 20% of
potassium, and 5-60% of sulfur.
The practice also damages
food resources of beneficial insects in the rice field.
The Solid Waste Management
Act (RA 9003) and Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 prohibit open-field burning,
including burning of rice straws.
Alternatives
Our country produces 15.2M
tons of rice that leave 11.3M tons of rice straw every year. To minimize
postharvest waste, rice straws can be used by farmers as organic fertilizer and
primary material for mushroom production.
According to experts, rice
straw and other biomass from farm by-products can help farmers save expenses
from chemical fertilizer inputs.
Recycling farm wastes can also keep their environment clean and free of
pollutants.
“When straws are scattered in the field during
land preparation, they maintain soil’s nutrients and moisture,” said Evelyn J.
Javier, supervising science research specialist of Agronomy, Soil, and Plant
Physiology Division (ASPPD).
Ms. Javier added that every 5 tons of rice straws can
increase soil’s nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur,
silicon, and carbon. They also preserve the biodiversity of microorganisms that
helps in nutrient cycling and efficient fertilizer utilization.
Rice straws can also be used
as mulch to protect the roots of the plants from heat and cold and reduce the
evaporation rate. They also prevent weeds to grow in the paddy field.
Meanwhile, Rizal G. Corales
of PhilRice’s Palayamanan Plus recommended the use of rice straws as substrate
for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) production.
“Bulk of the rice biomass
produced is still being disposed indiscriminately despite its many known uses.
Using rice straw as mushroom substrate is economically profitable for farmers
and people engaged in agribusiness,” Mr. Corales said.
“The waste from mushroom
production is also the main substrate for vermicomposting, one of the best
organic fertilizers produced,” Mr. Corales added.
For more information on the
different uses of rice straw, farmers may contact the PhilRice Text Center at
0920 911 1398. (PhilRice news)
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