PhilRice promotes the use of quality seeds

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) urges farmers to use quality seeds to boost their yield by 5-10%, as confirmed by both research and actual farming.

Experts attribute the achievement of higher yield to quality seeds’ higher germination rate of 85% and above. Moreover, these seeds allow crops’ uniform growth and maturity that gives farmers a better chance of having plentiful harvest, as opposed to low-quality seeds that result in more off-types and higher pest incidence.

The extensive promotion of quality seeds is a critical factor in achieving the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) national average yield target of 6 t/ha at a cost of P8/kg.

In line with this, the DA National Rice Program and the National Cooperative Tests for rice bared the five nationally recommended inbred varieties for dry and wet seasons. They will promote these varieties, namely: NSIC Rc 216, Rc 222, Rc 160, Rc 300, and Rc 238 in 55 provinces across the country with average yields below 4t/ha.

“Before using the recommended variety (NSIC Rc 222), I used to harvest only 3 t/ha. I never imagined that I can harvest more than 5 t/ha! If not for the use of quality seeds, I’ll still be just one of the hopefuls of higher yield. Now, I am proud to say that I can pay my debts with extra money for food and other needs,” Lito Lombres, a farmer from Baler, Aurora, testifies.

As part of the effort of convincing about 55% of Filipino farmers who rely on recycling their own-harvest seeds, DA also recently implemented the Farmers Production and Exchange of High-Quality Inbred Rice Seeds (SEEDEX) project. This project aims to empower palay farmers under the informal farmer production and exchange system to use high-quality seeds and know the advantages of using such seeds. It also covers both the irrigated lowland and rainfed lowland ecosystems in all the 16 regions beginning March 16, 2018 to March 15, 2023, with lower prioritization for provinces pushing for the use of hybrid varieties.

They particularly promote public hybrid rice varieties (such as Mestizo 1 and Mestiso 20) among farmers in provinces with more than 4 t/ha yield. Maturing in 123 days, Mestizo can offer a maximum yield of 9.9 t/ha. Mestizo 20, on the other hand, matures in 111 days and can produce a maximum yield of 12 t/ha.

For more information, please contact us through Telephone (044-456-0354), or Email (prri.mail@philrice.gov.ph), or follow us on Facebook (rice.matters). (PhilRice)

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