Generoso M. Oli, Eva V. Eslava, Eddie T. Rodriguez, Rodolfo A. Bayucan, Blesita C. Tega, Quirino L. Asuncion and Ronald S. Yague
ABSTRACT
The technology demonstration aims to showcase the three (3) crop establishment technologies to reduced man-day labor requirement, decrease cost production per hectare and kilogram of palay, increase yield and income of farmers. The project was conducted in WS2017 in five (5) location at Baculud, Amulung, and Fugu, Ballesteros, Cagayan, Nuesa, Roxas and La Paz, Cabatuan, Isabela and Dadap, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. A total of one and half (1.5) hectare per site were crop established in which 0.5ha each for Mechanical Direct Seeder (Demonstration 1), Mechanical Transplanter (Demonstration 2) and Conventional Method (Demonstration 3).
A total of 245 participants were capicitated and enhanced their skills during the method demo and training on the seeds, soil media and seedling trays preparation. On the actual field days a total of 337 participants for the crop established with direct seeding while 255 participants during mechanical transplanting and during harvesting 276 participants attended.
Majority (4 sites) of the demonstration sites exhibited highest yield ranging from 5.99-8.20 MT/ha for mechanical transplanter. This was due to the higher plant population, number of productive tillers and filled grains. While three (3) sites gave the lowest cost of production per kilogram of palay at a range for P5.32-7.14 for the mechanical direct seeder.
This can be explained by the reduction of cost in seed sowing and pulling of seedlings. Lowest production cost ranging from ₱32,880.00-42,435.00 per ha was exhibited by the use of mechanical direct seeder for the five (5) demonstration sites. Precisely because of the reduction of cost for seed sowing and pulling of seedlings.
Results showed that all sites have reduced the man-day labor requirement by 80-84% using mechanical direct seeder and 40-50% for mechanical transplanter versus the manual planting. Higher potential yield could be attained during normal condition for mechanized planting due to more plant density per ha compared to conventional method.
Furthermore, the need to conduct more demo sites within the rice model farm cluster area and strengthening the organized Farm Service Providers to conduct custom hiring so that more adoptors/farmers will be benefited on the advantages acquired in using mechanized rice farming.
Keywords: mechanized rice farming, lowland areas, Region 02
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