Rice farmers told: Make it 40

Sowing the right amount of seeds results in strong and healthy seedlings. Hence, rice experts recommend the use of 40 kg certified seeds of an inbred variety or 20 kg hybrid for one hectare.

This 40-kg technology disproves the common belief that more seeds planted per hectare ensure enough and healthy seedlings.

According to experts, 1 kg of palay seeds is equivalent to approximately 40,000 seeds, thus, for 40 kg seeds, there are approximately 1,600,000 seeds. If two seedlings (20 to 25-day old) per hill are transplanted at a distance of 20cm x 20cm, a hectare would require some 500,000 seedlings.

Field trials show that even if 50% of the seeds from the 40 kg seeds do not germinate or get eaten by birds or golden apple snails, the remaining 50%, which is equivalent to 800,000 seeds, would still be more than enough to transplant a hectare of ricefield.Experts explained that 40 kg seeds should be sown in a 400m2 seedbed to produce enough healthy seedlings. At this density, the seedlings will not compete with each other for nutrients and sunlight.

However, sowing seeds greater than 40 kg or using less than 400m2 seedbed can result in too close spacing between seedlings. This will make the seedlings tall and thin. Such seedlings may not survive or have a hard time recovering when transplanted in the field.

Healthy seedlings, on the other hand, can produce a good canopy and compete better against weeds. These seedlings are green, with good growth, free from pests and diseases, and can produce sufficient productive tillers and panicles.

The 40-kg technology also stresses the importance of certified seeds which have high germination rate and high seedling vigor, thus, better survival and growth. These seeds will produce uniform plants, and have a 5 to10 percent yield advantage over farmers’ home-saved seeds.

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is a government-owned and –controlled corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture that aims at developing high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice for all Filipinos.