EVERY cropping season, beginning and veteran rice farmers are always asking about seed quality and varietal information.
Aside from asking if what to plant, they are also concerned about their yield and sustainability under local conditions.
The need to answer these queries motivated ICT specialists at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to develop the Binhing Palay app with the National Cooperative Testing Group.
Launched during the recent National Rice Research for Development Conference, the digital application features a catalogue of all released rice varieties in the Philippines.
The app, which can be downloaded in the Google Play Store, provides fast and easy access to basic and updated varietal information.
It also works on offline mode.
The researchers said that by using their smartphones or tablets, farmers, seed growers, extension workers, and other agriculture enthusiasts can use the app to get the latest information on modern rice varieties.
The app currently contains 289 rice varieties including their agronomic characteristics, pest and disease resistance, and grain quality.
It automatically updates every time a new variety is released and has a sort and filter list feature.
App users can filter through the list based on location, environment, season, crop establishment, seed classification, or year of release, PhilRice said.
Recommendations for the dry and wet cropping season based on reports from the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional offices are also included in the app.
On the other hand, worries of farmers during rainy season may soon be reduced with the development of a line that is resistant against bacterial leaf blight (BLB), one of the most destructive rice diseases occurring during continuous heavy rains.
Developed by PhilRice, Line 27 (PR37171-1-1-1-2-2-1-1) withstood attacks of major BLB races found in the country.
PhilRice says that Line 27 has broad-spectrum resistance to diseases based on tests conducted, which used 12 strains representing 10 BLB races.
A cross combination of NSIC Rc 120 – a tungro-resistant variety, and AR 32-19-3-4, a BLB resistant elite line, Line 27 was found to have four resistant genes against Xanthomas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), the causal organism of BLB.
PhilRice also said that Line 27 will be further bred as a variety for farmers to plant.
The variety will be suited in Northern and Eastern Samar where BLB incidences are prevalent last 2017.
The variety may be expected in 6 to10 years.
Currently, the line is also being used in developing new hybrid varieties, which are known to be highly susceptible to BLB and tungro, and Golden rice, a variety being bred containing beta carotene.
With these new results, PhilRice is hopeful to improve or develop a BLB and tungro-resistant parental, which can be useful in the development of high-yielding varieties.
Reducing farmers’ yield by up to 60 percent under severe infestation, BLB causes wilting of seedlings and yellowing and drying of leaves.
The disease hinders the growth of grains by affecting the crop’s food production process.
BLB can also easily attack susceptible rice varieties applied with high amount of nitrogen fertilizer. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
