SeedWorks Philippines,
I have written about your super-hybrid rice “US 88” (see my 24 November 2021
essay “RevFarm – How Hybrid Rice Can Make PH Millionaires![1]” Communication
for Development).
Convinced of the super-worthiness of US 88, as a relentless blogger,
UPLB graduate of ’65, BSA major in Ag Edu, and as a recent convert to Regenerative Agriculture, I am hereby enticing
SeedWorks to sponsor a year-long public hybrid rice demo of 2 ha where the same
US 88 will be planted in both 1-ha fields but with different cultivation
methods. Probable test site: PhilRice Los Baños Station.
Field
1 (Conventional Farming)
Field preparation with disc plowing & harrowing & field
leveling, nursery, transplanting, mechanical weeding, application of
fertilizers & pesticides, usual irrigation practice.
Field
2 (Regenerative Agriculture)
Field preparation with rotavation, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) –
none of the steps followed in Field 1.
Day
1
The 2 fields will be simultaneously prepared and digitally recorded
visually and aurally, in motion, shown on live webcast, on Facebook. Will invite
the media in the Philippines and abroad to witness Day 1 and anytime,
especially at harvest time.
Conditions
for public field demo
I have no personal conditions; I will not ask SeedWorks to
pay me for the concept that is obviously in its favor – because I know that the
bigger favor will be for rice farmers in the Philippines and elsewhere!
The regenerative agriculture steps I will carry out in Field
2 are the following:
Crop Refuse –
Prior to the field demo, I will require that the previous crop refuse and/or
weeds be left undisturbed. Why?
Rotavation will turn them into organic mulch!
Rotavation – A 2-wheel
hand tractor with rotavator blades attached will be used, with depth of
cultivation 2-3 inches only, not deeper. This will leave a surface mulch
distributed over 10,000 square meters. Organic matter ready to serve you, Sir
or Madam!
Irrigation – No
irrigation. With surface mulch already in place, the field will keep itself
moist enough for the rice to grow.
Weeding – No weeding
necessary. Remember? The rotavation had already defeated the weeds by cutting
them and mixing them with the soil – when the living matter rots, as it will,
death to the weed seeds!
SRI – On Field 2,
I will use SRI as method for planting the rice: 25 cm X 25 cm distance, single
seedling at every point. This is following the already-proven fruitful &
economic farming method originated by a Jesuit, Fr Henri De Laulanie, based on his observations in Madagascar.
If a transplanter is available, that will be used instead of manual labor.
Alternate Wet &
Dry (AWD) – If necessary, Field B will employ IRRI’s AWD irrigation
frequency.
Arrangements for field demo site with DA’s PhilRice Los Baños, as it is conveniently
near IRRI and UP Los Baños campus.
I
am doing this because I want Filipino rice farmers to be great & gain!@517
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