DOST introduces new technology to increase Pangasinan farmers' rice yield

• Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1008073
• Thursday, May 17, 2018

By Elsha Marie Soriano (ajc/EMBS/PIA-1, Pangasinan)

PANGASINAN (PIA) -- At least 1, 326 farmers from five towns and one city in Pangasinan were selected by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to try the effects of a new technology that will promote growth and induce resistance to pest and diseases in rice plants.

Jenifer Fernandez, science research specialist of DOST-Pangasinan, said the new technology, dubbed as Carrageenan Plant Growth Regulator (CPGR) is a joint project of DOST, Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) that aims to help farmers increase their rice yields.

Fernandez said farmers from Balungao, Binalonan, Mangatarem, Sison, Sta Barbara and Urdaneta City will participate in the implementation of the project’s mass field trial that will cover 1,344 hectares of rice field in Pangasinan.

Funded by PCAARRD, the Carrageenan Plant Growth Regulator is an output from the research of the group of Dr. Gil Magsino of National Crop Protection Center (NCPC) in the University of the Philippines- Los Baños (UPLB), Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) that is composed of red edible seaweed called ‘guso or gulamang dagat.’

Fernandez said the red edible seaweed, which will be extracted and treated to break its particle down into very small pieces, contains essential nutrient that will be readily absorbed by plants.

“The extracted liquid from ‘guso’ can be consumed by plants as food supplement when sprayed during the early vegetative stage, maximum tillering to panicle initiation and before flowering stages of rice plants,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said before the DOST conducted a technical briefing and farmer's survey on May 2-8 in the mentioned localities, a mass application of CPGR trials in multi-location was conducted that resulted to the increased of rice yield by 15-30%.

“During the briefing conducted last week, Pangasinan farmers as well as agricultural officers responded positively on the project and they are willing to add the CPGR liquid products to their current practices to increase rice yield,” said Fernandez.

She said each farmer participant will be given nine liters of carrageenan liquid products per one hectare of rice field for every planting season this year.

Fernandez said DOST will start distributing Carrageenan liquid products to participating farmers from this month to June this year during the beginning of the first planting season.