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April 2006, Vol. 1, No. 2

www.irri.org/irrc/

Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Rice Research for Intensifed Production and Prosperity in Lowland Ecosyste

Nutrient Manager for Rice team wins technology development award

The Nutrient Manager for Rice team

received the Achievement Award in

Technology Development from the

Crop Science Society of the Philippines

(CSSP) during the 40th Annual Scientic

Conference in Davao City, Philippines, on

18 March. The team was recognized for

developing the site-specic nutrient man-agement (SSNM) technology for rice and

the computer-based decision soware Nu-

trient Manager for Rice. (See related story on

page 6.)

The SSNM technology and the deci-

sion soware gave farmers and extension

workers a comprehensive fertil izer guide-

line that is tailored to specic conditions

in rice elds, an important step to further

popularize the scientic and knowledge-

intensive SSNM principles.

The team is composed of IRRI scien-

tistsIRRC Productivity and Sustainabil-ity Work Group (PSWG) leader Roland

Buresh and his research staand part-

ners from the Philippine Rice Research

Institute (PhilRice), University of the Phil-

ippines Los Baos (UPLB), West Visayas

State University (WSVU), and Atlas Fer-

tilizer Corporation (AFC).

PSWG soil scientist Rowena Castillo

explained that the soware was a prod-

uct of years of consolidated research be-

tween IRRI and scientists from PhilRice

and UPLB. Nutrient Manager for Rice could

Swiss Agency for Developmentand Cooperation

quickly provide fertilizer guidelines aer

responding to 15 questions about specic

rice elds or rice-growing conditions.

The user of the soware gets a personal-

ized guide as to the amounts and timingof fertilizer application based on a select-

ed rice variety, adds Ms. Castil lo.

In 2008, an initial version of the

Nutrient Manager for Rice soware was

evaluated and rened through farmer

participation with WVSU and AFC. The

eld-tested version was then released on

CD in English and ve Philippine dia-

lects. IRRI researchers also produced a

tutorial CD with a video and PowerPoint

presentation that has since been used for

training across the Philippines.

The soware also used informationgathered from Philippine provinces on

common rice varieties, rice production

practices, and yields to develop provincial

quick guides. These are tailored to a spe-

cic provinces common rice cultivation

practices to facilitate rapid dissemination

of nutrient management based on SSNM

principles. These quick guides were de-

veloped for 75 Philippine provinces and

are distributed and promoted through the

Department of Agricultures Ginintuang

Masaganang Ani Rice Program.

Another IRRI-produced video, en

titled Tales of Ryza, the rice plant: proper

nutrition makes healthy rice plants , talk

about improved SSNM-based practices

It features an animated talking rice plant

named Ryza, which pops out of the rice

eld and tells a farmer about the nutrient

needs of rice.The quick guides and video are avail

able on the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank

Web site, www.pinoyrkb.com/resources.

IN THIS ISSUE...

NEWS

IRRC staff reap awards..................................2Science features IRRI rodent research.......3IRRC holds rodent management training..4ICOP-Philippines meet for 2010..................4

IPM in rice-based systems book..................5International Rice Congress set in Nov.....5

Fresh facts on eld-specic nutrients.........6Developing applications for SSNM..............6

AWD goes to Africa.......................................7Postharvest training across the

Philippines...................................................8IRRI scientist writes for book on farmland

birds.............................................................9

Rodent conference held in South Africa....9AWD in Bangladesh.............................. .......12PROFILES

The wild life of Alex Stuart.........................10

Contributing on a global scale...................11PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS.......8

Roland BureshRona Nia Mae Rojas

Volume 5, Number 2 May-August 20

The Nutrient Manager for Rice team gets recognized for their hard work and persistence in bringing the principles of site-specic nutrient man -agement to the people who need it the mostthe farmers.


2/122 RIPPLE

IRRC sta reap awards Emma QuichoRona Nia Mae RojasCGIAR Press Release

Mendoza gets IRRIs OutstandingResearch Support Award

Trina Leah Mendoza, senior commu-nication specialist of the IRRC, won the

IRRI Award for Outstanding Research

Support for 2009. The annual nationally

recruited sta (NRS) awarding ceremony

was held on 15 April at IRRI. The NRS

Awards Program recognizes the impor-tant contribution of NRS to IRRIs work

and formally rewards outstanding per-

formance.

Ms. Mendoza developed and imple-

mented a diverse portfolio of communi-

cation strategies that successfully pro-

moted the work of the IRRC and IRRIinternally and internationally. She led

and guided some of the national partners

in developing more eective communica-

tion strategiesat both the Institute and

project levels.

Ms. Mendozas achievements in 2009

include the following: developing a video

titled Easing the plight of the hungry, trans-

lated in Bengali and Hindi; assisting in

the video development on alternate wet-

ting and drying, and soil water-holding

capacity for an e-learning module; site-specic nutrient management; and pro-

duction of a video on early harvesting

using PowerPoint presentations.

Her audit report of communication

activities of the Indonesian Center for

Agricultural Technology Assessment

and Development in December 2008 led

their director general to oversee a new

strategy for communication that was im-

plemented in 2009, including a national

newsleer fashioned aer RIPPLE news-leer. In Cambodia, Ms. Mendoza also

conducted an audit of available commu-nication materials and preferred sources

of agricultural information during a

marketing assessment and communica-

tion strategies workshop.

She spearheaded the production

of three high-quality issues of RIPPLE;

presented guidelines on producing post-

ers and brochures for a workshop of thehigh-prole 1 Must Do, 5 Reductions proj-

ect in Vietnam; produced two posters for

Indonesia, which were pretested during

focus group discussions with farmers,

and audited available communication

materials and preferred sources of agri-

cultural information; and edited content

and advised on layout of the new bro-chures of the IRRC and Nutrient Manager.

> continued on page 3

RonaRojas

Dr. Roland Buresh struckdown a long-held beliefregarding intensive ag-riculture.

Buresh wins CGIAR OutstandingScienc Arcle

Roland Buresh, IRRC Productivity

and Sustainability Work Group leader,

won the Outstanding Scientic Article

In addition, Ms. Mendoza facilitated

the development of a new look for the Rice

Knowledge Bank (RKB) Web site, assisted

IRRI scientists in writing their materials,

and ensured that these were uploadedonto the Web. She is also a contributing

writer for IRRIs Rice Today magazine and

wrote the press release on the launch of

the new Good Agricultural Practices Web

site for the RKB.

The winners were selected by a com-

miee composed of distinguished mem-

bers of the IRRI community from both

research and research support groups.

Elizabeth Jean Woods, IRRI Board of

Trustees chair, congratulated the win-

ners and highlighted the importance of

individual sta contributions to the over-all success of the Institute. IRRI Director

General Robert Zeigler, in his closing re-

marks, described how he continues to be

inspired by the outstanding work of theNRS in achieving IRRIs mission.

award given by the Consultative Group

on International Agricultural Research

(CGIAR) at the Global Conference on Ag

ricultural Research for Development inMontpellier, France, on 29 March.

Dr. Bureshs study, published in 2008

in the Soil Science Society of America Jour-

nal , challenges the old belief that inten

sive agriculture is necessarily incompat

ible with soil health.

Based on analysis of soil samples

collected over 15 years from four experi

ments begun during the 1960s, Dr. Buresh

and three colleagues (Mirasol Pampoli-

no and Eufrocino Laureles of IRRI and

Hermenegildo Gines of the Philippine

Rice Research Institute) determined thacontinuous planting every season or rice

monoculture on submerged soils consis-

tently maintained or actually increased

soil organic maer.

Their ndings demonstrate that, i

farmers remove crop residues from the

eld rather than incorporate them into

the soil, this need not reduce grain yields

as long as the nutrients removed are re

placed with appropriate use of chemica

fertilizers.

Trina Mendozaposes with herplaque forOutstandingResearch Sup-port.

The irrigated rice system that passed

Dr. Bureshs rigorous sustainability tes

occupies some 24 million hectares in

Asia, accounting for about 40% of globa

production and providing food for 1.5 bil-

lion people.


3/12May-August 2010

WSWGs eWater wins best posterat CSSP conference

The IRRC Water-Saving Work Group

(WSWG) poster entitled eWater: an e-learn-

ing training tutorial in water management for

rice production won the Best Poster award inthe Socioeconomics/Extension & Education

category during the Crop Science Society of

the Philippines (CSSP) 40th Annual Scien-

tic Conference in Davao City, Philippines,on 15-20 March. The poster bested 108 other

entries for the award in three categories

upstream, downstream, and socioeconom-ics/extension and education research.

eWater is a training tutorial on sound

eld water management and other water-

saving technologies in irrigated rice pro-

duction. The tutorial contains four inter-

active modules for learners to gain skills

in ecient water management. (See related

story in RIPPLE Vol. 4, No. 3.)

WSWG leader Ruben Lampayan, to-

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

IRRI scientists Romy Cabangon (middle) and Emma Quicho (right) receive, on behalf ofthe Water-Saving Work Group, the Best Poster award for eWater from former Crop Sci-ence Society of the Philippines President Emma Sales (left).

continued from page 2

IRRC sta reap awards...

Science features IRRIrodent research

EnricoMercado

Science, the worlds leading outlet for

scientic news, commentary, and cuing-

edge research, published an article titled

Holding Back a Torrent of Rats by IRRC co-ordinator Grant Singleton. The article,

featured in the February issue, followed asuccessful international conference on im-pacts of rodent outbreaks on food security

in Asia in October 2009 at IRRI (for moreon the conference, see RIPPLE Vol. 5, No. 1).

Highlighted in the article was thedirect link of bamboo masting in Bangla-

desh, northeast India, and Myanmar to ratpopulation explosion and its subsequent

impact on food security. Bamboo masting,described as the simultaneous production

of fruit by an entire population of bamboo,provides rodents with an abundant sup-ply of food, thus allowing them to breed

longer. Also discussed was a scheme tomanage the damage, with inputs from Dr.

Singleton and fellow rodent ecology andmanagement experts Drs. Steve Belmain

and Ken Aplin.Science has the largest paid circula-

tion of any peer-reviewed general-science

journal, with articles ranked among theworlds most cited research.

Dr. Singleton also wrote Rodents

gnawing away at crops, stored grain and ourhealth , published in January in the rst

technical innovation brief of the CGIARSystemwide Program on Integrated Pest

Management (SP-IPM). The article dis-cusses the three major impacts of rodents

on crop growth, postharvest losses, andhuman health.

The article also covers the emergingsolutions that take into consideration the

ecology of rodent pests and human healthissues. There are integrated actions that

must be done at a community level to ef-

fectively manage the rice eld rat in lowland irrigated rice areas. A simple tech-nology known as the Community Trap

Barrier System for chronic crop lossesgreater than 10% is also highlighted.

The SP-IPM technical innovationbriefs present IPM research ndings and

innovations for the management of pests

diseases, and weeds in agricultural production.

Members of the community work together in hunng down rats in An Giang, Vietnam.

gether with IRRI scientists Romy Caban-gon, Emma Quicho, To Phuc Tuong, and

Bas Bouman, conceptualized and prepared

the poster to promote the wide use of eWa-

ter for eective delivery of information on

water-saving technologies. Partners from

the Philippine Rice Research Institute,

University of Southeastern Philippines-

Mindanao e-Learning Space, and Bulacan

Agricultural State College also coauthored

the winning poster.

The CSSP annual conference had thetheme Harnessing genetic and ecosystem di-

versity for sustainable agriculture and was at

tended by about 300 crop scientists, exten

sion specialists, and professors from both

public and private sectors from dierent

parts of the Philippines. The conference

was a venue for the participants to presen

their latest research results, outputs, and

products.


4/124 RIPPLE

ICOP-Philippines sets2010 acvies

Colleagues from the PhilippineRice Research Institute (Phil-Rice) and IRRI held the 4th an-

nual review and planning meeting ofthe Philippines IRRC Country Out-reach Program (ICOP) on 26 Februaryat the IRRI Training Center. The IRRCcurrently also has ICOPs in Indonesia,Myanmar, and Vietnam. The meetingwas aended by 32 participants fromPhilRice, the National Irrigation Ad-ministration (NIA), the Bohol Agricul-tural Promotion Center, and IRRI .

ICOP-Philippines fosters learningand knowledge-sharing of good ag-ricultural practices across four of themajor rice-growing regions in the Phil-ippines. The meeting served as a venuefor participants to present the progressof their collaborative research in 2009and to develop their 2010 activities in-tegrated with the Philippine Rice Self-Suciency Plan (PRSSP).

Eulito Bautista, deputy executivedirector for research of PhilRice, calledthe meeting timely because of the

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

R

onaRojas

Members of ICOP-Philippines connue to

work together to address yield gaps in riceproducon.

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

drought that the Philippines is current-ly experiencing and the urgent need tocontinue to close the yield gap for riceproduction. Grant Singleton, IRRC co-ordinator, said that the ICOP approachprovides an adaptive research modelfor integrating various natural resourcemanagement (NRM) rice technologiesand practices in a form understood byend-users (extension specialists, farm-ers, policymakers). He further stressed

that an eective ICOP will strengthenour shared goal of delivering good agri-cultural practices for irrigated rice pro-duction in the Philippines.

The participants reported on theimplementation of IRRC technologiesin their respective region vis--vis riceyield, constraints to technology adop-tion, and other emerging issues inrice production. The 2010 action plansstrengthened the integration of innovative NRM technologies, based on feed-back from farmers who have tested the

component technologies, and specieda signicant expansion in the area offarmer part icipation.

Before ending the workshop, DrSingleton emphasized that investmentis also made through partnerships inpeople who can share knowledge andexperiences in the adoption of variousrice technologies. Dr. Bautista urged everyone to continue working together toreach more farmers as a contribution toanswer the nations call for sucienrice.

T

wenty participants from the CropProtection Division of the Bureauof Plant Industry (BPI) Depart-

ment of Agriculture (DA) aended thetraining course on New Developmentsin the Management of Rodents on 16-17March at the SEARCA guesthouse, LosBaos, Laguna. The training coursewas organized by the Irrigated Rice Re-search Consortium (IRRC).

The participants, representativesfrom the 16 regional crop protectioncenters of BPI-DA all over the Philip-pines, presented their respective re-gions current rodent situation andhow it is addressed locally. The course

helped bridge the knowledge gap onrodent management in the country andtrained the participants on how to ap-ply beer management techniques withsocial, cultural, and ecological factors inmind.

During the course, they learned theprinciples of ecologically based rodentmanagement (EBRM); rodent breed-

ing ecology in the Philippines; assess-ment of damage and yield loss caused by rodents; decision analysis, systemsapproach, and participatory researchleading to community EBRM; and thesocial dimensions of a concentratedcommunication campaign against ratsin Zaragosa, Nueva Eca. A visit to arice eld in Calauan, Laguna, provideda demonstration on how rodent trapsare set in the eld, an inspection of ro-dent damage to rice, and discussion onhow to assess such damage, which is

oen overlooked, unless it is at a highlevel. The participants then visitedIRRI, where they conducted hands-ontraining on species identication, key body measurements, and determiningthe breeding history of female rats fromnecropsy.

Lectures were given by IRRC coordi-nator Grant Singleton, PhD student NyoMe Htwe, and IRRC agricultural anthro

pologists Flor Palis and Rica Flor.

IRRC holds rodentmanagement training

Harvey Garcia, IRRCs wildlife biologist, showstraining parcipants how to idenfy rodentspecies and conduct key body measurements.


5/12May-August 2010

Book on IPM in rice-basedsystems launched

A

er 3 years of hard work, thebook IPM in vegetables: enhanc-ing its implementation in rice-

based cropping systems , by MadonnaCasimero and Peter Ooi, was launchedon 9 March at the 41st Pest Manage-ment Council of the Philippines con-ference in Davao City.

The book discusses how extensionworkers and government units canwork eectively with farmers usingparticipatory approaches in rice-basedfarming systems in the Philippines. Itcovers the three main aspects of inte-grated pest management (IPM)in-sects, diseases, and weeds. The book

contains practical case studies that en-able extension workers to work moreeectively with farmers to help themadapt and apply innovative techniques.The success of farmer eld schools inpromoting IPM was expanded into in-tegrated crop management and latertransformed into diversied farmingsystems. The platform to do this wascalled Palayamanan , which educatesfarmers to diversify their crops, raise

farm animals, and manage farm wastesfor protable yet sustainable farming.

IPM in Palayamanan was used as

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

an entry point to educate the farmersin safe vegetable production imple-mented in rice-based farming systems

This led to safer farming practices andincreased farmers productivity andincome. IPM helps prepare farmers toenter into a competitive local and glob-al market that imposes stricter foodsafety requirements.

Dr. Casimero is a project scientist inthe Crop and Environmental SciencesDivision at IRRI and is currently basedin Indonesia as leader of the IncreasingRice Productivity in South and South-east Sulawesi Project. Dr. Ooi is theformer regional director of the Asian

Regional Center of AVRDC (The WorldVegetable Center). He is now a consul-tant of the Pesticide Action Network

based in Penang, Malaysia.The book is published by and

available at the Department of Agricul-ture Bureau of Agricultural Research(DA-BAR), Philippines. For more infor-mation, visit www.bar.gov.ph.

Internaonal Rice Congress set in November

The 3rd International Rice Con-

gress (IRC) will be held on 8-12November at the Vietnam Na-

tional Convention Center in Hanoi. TheIRC, held every 4 years, is the worldslargest gathering of the rice industry.

With the theme Rice for future gen-erations , IRC2010 will provide a forumfor representatives from the public andprivate sectors, including researchers,scientists, professionals, traders, andpolicymakers. Delegates will discussthe latest rice research, future technolo-

gies, trade issues, and policies that willdene the future role of rice in support-ing poor rice-dependent communities.Delegates are also invited to share theirexpertise, show their products and ser-vices, and learn about the latest devel-opments in the industry.

IRC2010 will include the 28th Inter-national Rice Research Conference, the

3rd World Rice Commerce Conference,the 3rd International Rice Technologyand Cultural Expo, and the 50th anni-versary celebrations of IRRI. VietnamsMinistry of Agriculture and Rural De-velopment (MARD) will also host the3rd Ministerial Round Table Meetingcomprising all agriculture secretariesor ministers of major Asian countries.Incidentally, the IRRC will hold its an-nual Steering Commiee meeting con-currently in Hanoi.

Papers and posters to be presentedwill focus on the following themes/topics: policy, market, and supply chainsocial and cultural dimensions in ricefarming and communities; postharvestinformation, dissemination, and inno-vation; climate change and rice agriculture; environmental resilience and eco-system services; water availability and

access; pest, disease, and weed manage-ment; drought, ooding, and problemsoils; closing the yield gap; harnessingrice biodiversity; molecular biology and-omic technologies; raising yield po-tential; and quality grain, health, andnutrition.

This activity is jointly organized byIRRI and AsiaCongress Events Manage-ment Co. Ltd. and is hosted by MARDFor more details, log on to www.rice-congress.com.


6/126 RIPPLE

Fresh facts on eld-specicnutrient management

T

he importance of site-specific

nutrient management (SSNM)for rice and other crops was

highlighted in March as the IRRCProductivity and Sustainability

Work Group (PSWG) conducted twoconsecutive workshops at IRRI.

Dr. Roland Buresh, PSWG leader,

and Dr. Mirasol Pampolino, InternationalPlant Nutrition Institute agronomist,

served as resource speakers for theworkshop on Implementing SSNM forCereal Crops on 22-26 March.

Eighteen participants from India,

Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Nepal, thePhilippines, and Tanzania learned about

new technical information on SSNM forhigh-yielding production systems withrice, maize, and wheat. They also triedusing new decision tools for eld-specic

nutrient management for rice, maize,

and the rice-wheat system. Participantsvisited long-term experiments and met

with IRRI sta during the week.

The following week, a workshop

on Implementing SSNM in the Philippineswas held on 29-30 March. Soil scientist

Rowena Castillo and agricultural

engineer Joseph Sandro, both sta of Dr.Buresh, facilitated the workshop.The workshop was targeted for

partners from the Philippines involved

in either implementing projects on thedevelopment and dissemination of eld-

specic nutrient management or serving as

resource persons in training or educationon nutrient management for rice.

Participants from the Departmentof Agriculture camestaff from the

Philippine Rice Research Institute,Agricultural Training Institute,

regional field units, and the Ginintuang

Masaganang Ani Rice Program. They

were joined by representatives fromthe Atlas Fertilizer Company and stateuniversities and colleges.

The 2-day workshop updated

the participants with the latesttechnical information on the scientific

principles for making field-specificnutr ient management recommendations

Participants were also introduced tonew videos on nutrient management

for rice, quick guides for fertilizing riceand new Web- and mobile phone-based

applications of the Nutrient Manager for

Rice decision tool.The workshop gave participants

the chance to share their experiencesand information on evaluating anddisseminating eld-specic nutrien

management for rice.

Roland BureshTrina Leah Mendoza

Developing applicaonsfor SSNM

T

he IRRC Productivity andSustainability Work Group (PSWG)has released two new Web-based

decision tools based on the scienticprinciples of site-specic nutrientmanagement (SSNM).

The Nutrient Manager for RiceTutorial provides an introduction onthe rice requirements for supplementalnutrients. It demonstrates how fertilizerguidelines are formulated for a rice crop

based on the answers to ve questionsabout rice-growing conditions. It showshow information on crop establishment,growth duration of rice, aainable yield,residue management, and soil fertility

aects the application rates of fertilizersnitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), andpotassium (K).

The tutorial also includes a suiteof decision tools that is tailored forrice production in major rice-growingcountries or regions. Each Nutrient

Manager tool provides a eld-specicfertilizer guideline based on theresponses to questions about rice-growing conditions in the eld.

The Nutrient Teacher for Rice is ateaching tool suited for students andinstructors of introductory courses in soilscience and crop science. Similar to theNutrient Manager tutorial, it demonstrates

how fertilizer guidelines are formulated based on answers about rice-growinconditions. It also shows how information

on season, crop establishment, varietygrowth duration of rice, yield, residuemanagement, soil fertility, and use oforganic materials as sources of nutrientsaects rates of NPK fertilization.

These tools and the complete suite oWeb-based tools can be accessed at wwwirri.org/nmrice. For more information onSSNM, visit www.irri.org/ssnm.

The PSWG also capitalized on the

Roland BureshKatherine Nelson

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

> continued on page 7

Philippine partners learn the latest informaon on eld-specic nutrient management and applica-

ons of the Nutrient Manager for Rice decision tool.


7/12May-August 2010

Trina Leah Mendoza

popularity of mobile phones in thePhilippines to further bridge the gap

between agricultural research andend-users, particularly farmers. A newmobile phone application for Nutrient

Manager for Rice is being developed forfarmers who have limited, if any, accessto computers and the Internet. It is aimedat giving farmers more access to valuableagricultural information via mobilenetworks.

The mobile Nutrient Manager usesan interactive voice response (IVR)application. The caller need only dial atoll-free number, which will be answered

by a voice prompt. The caller will thenrespond to a series of recorded questions(about rice-growing conditions) by

pressing the appropriate number on thephone keypad. At the end of the callthe phone will receive a text messageindicating the type, amount, and timingof fertilizer application for a specic riceeld.

Marco van den Berg, IRRIInformation Technology Services head, is

currently assisting PSWG in integratingthe IVR application with the Nutrien

Manager for Rice decision tool. Launch othis application is set for July 2010 andwill be done in partnership with IRRIthe Department of Agriculture (DA) othe Philippines, and Globe, a large mobilenetwork provider. DA sta training andthe release of an orientation video forextension workers and farmers regardingthe use of the mobile Nutrient Managerare planned for June 2010.

continued from page 6Developing applicaons...

A Filipino farmer tries out the Nutrient Manag-ermobile phone applicaon to get an instant

ferlizer guidline for her rice eld.

AWD goes to Africa

E

ach day in Senegal, Africa, ricefarmers pump water from the Sen-

egal River to keep their rice elds

under 10 centimeters of water. This con-stant ooding of rice elds uses up a lotof water from the river, which is also thesource of drinking water of millions of

people living in Dakar City, Senegalscapital.

Michiel de Vries, a PhD student from

Wageningen University, The Netherlands,

brought the alternate weing and drying(AWD) method, an IRRC technology, toSenegal. His research led to saving 40%

of irrigation water, while yields were still95% of the usual method of ooding.

Mr. de Vries, a former student ofIRRI water scientist Bas Bouman, con-ducted his research at the Africa Rice

Center in Senegal. He explored whetherAWD, a water-saving technology stud-

ied extensively in Asia, can be applied inSahel areas.

In his study, the best results were

achieved when the rice eld was ood-ed during half the growing season, and

AWD was implemented during the oth-er half. A perforated pipe or tube was

placed in the ground, where farmers cansee and measure the underground waterlevel, and know when they have to irri-

gate.

Benets of AWDIn most irrigation systems in Africa,

1,700 liters of water are needed to pro-duce 1 kilogram of rice. Using AWD, itcan be lowered to 1,000 liters per kilo-

gram.Instead of applying AWD only half

of the season, farmers can use the AWDmethod throughout the season, says Mr.de Vries. They would then be able to

save half of the irrigation water but have

about 20% less rice output. Mr. de Vriessays that irrigation costs are sometimes

so high that farmers nd this option ap

pealing. Farmers can benet from it because irrigation takes up about a quarter

to a third of their production costs. Theygreatly value cost savings because theyhave to compete with inexpensive im

ported Asian rice in the market.

AWD in Sahel areasHis ndings show that AWD can

be applied in other Sahel countries with

rice cultivation, such as Burkino FasoMali, and Niger, where major irrigation

systems are present. However, Mr. de Vries says that it all depends on how these

networks are set up. If farmers do not

have to pay for water (e.g., the government does the pumping for them), they

would not benet from saving water andwould not do so, says Mr. de Vries.

His research on AWD has sparked alot of interest in Senegal. The agriculture

information service in Senegal has nanced a demonstration project and twoWageningen students have also done

eld tests on the farms.If AWD can be implemented in their

rice elds, Senegalese rice farmers can

save up to 40% of irrigation water, with-out lowering rice yield.

JosephSandro

IRRIphoto

With AWD, Senegalese rice farmers can save

up to 40% of irrigaon water, without loweringrice yields.


8/128 RIPPLE

Carlito BalingbingTrina Leah Mendoza

PUBLICATIONS AND

UPCOMING EVENTS

Internaonal journalsBorlagdan PC, Elauria JC, Elepao AR, de PaduaDB, Dizon EI, Gummert M. 2010. Study on thecause of postharvest rice grain yellowing. CIGR

Journal- Internaonal Commission of Agriculturaland Biosystems Engineering. (in press)

Borlagdan PC, Elauria JC, Elepao AR, de PaduaDB, Dizon EI, Gummert M. 2010. Eect of rice hulland the changes in biochemical properes onpostharvest rice grain yellowing. Journal of CropScience and Biotechnology. (in press)

Douthwaite B, Gummert M. 2010. Learning selec-on revisited: How can agricultural researchersmake a dierence? Agric. Syst. (in press)

Conference proceedingsBuresh RJ. 2009. The SSNM concept and its im-plementaon in rice. Proceedings of the Interna-onal Ferlizer Industry Associaon (IFA) Cross-roads Asia-Pacic Conference, 8-10 Dec 2009,Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Available at www.irri.org/ssnm.

Gabinete GG, Buresh, RJ. 2009. Site-specic nu-

trient management (SSNM): protability to farm-ers, current level of adopon, and constraints towider adopon in Iloilo Province, the Philippines.Proceedings of the Internaonal Ferlizer Indus-try Associaon (IFA) Crossroads Asia-Pacic Con-ference, 8-10 Dec 2009, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.Available at www.irri.org/ssnm.

Kartaatmadja S. 2009. Benets of promongSSNM: experience from Indonesia. Proceedingsof the Internaonal Ferlizer Industry Asso-ciaon (IFA) Crossroads Asia-Pacic Conference,8-10 Dec 2009, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Availableat www.irri.org/ssnm.

EventsCoordinaon UnitSustainable Rice Producon through ImprovedNatural Resource Management GuangdongAcademy of Agricultural Sciences & IRRC Workshop, Guangzhou, China, 9-11 June

Water-Saving Work GroupPreparaon of the study concept (AWD impacstudy in Bangladesh) in Berlin, Germany, 21 June-3

July

Southern Laos ACIAR Project Workshop: WateComponent in Vienane, Laos, 2-6 August

Postproducon Work GroupAnnual Planning Meeng for IRRI-ADB Postharvest Project in the Philippines, Leyte, Philippines1-2 June

Business Model Workshops, Pursat and Baambang, Cambodia, 5-6 June

Stripper Harvester Training, Pursat, Cambodia, 7-8June

Postharvest training acrossthe Philippines

I

dentied as one of the key activities ofthe Philippine postharvest learning alli-

ance (LA), training activities on at-bed

dryer (FBD) operation and maintenanceand hermetic storage techniques were held

in April in Bohol, Agusan del Norte, andCamarines Sur provinces. These are pilot

project sites of the IRRI-Asian DevelopmentBank Project, supported by the IRRC Coun-try Outreach Program and the Philippine

Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).More than 100 seed growers, farmers,

and extension agents aended the trainingactivities. The archipelagic nature of the

Philippines plus the staggering posthar-vest losses in the eld of around 15% pose

a huge challenge to achieving sucient riceproduction, says Dr. Caesar Tado, co-proj-ect leader. But if these losses could be re-

duced, the equivalent amount of rice beingimported would then be addressed.

The principles, operation, and main-tenance of the FBD were presented anddemonstrated. The reversible FBD, a new

technology that was transferred to the Phil-ippines from Vietnam, was also introduced.

Participants were excited about their as-sociation obtaining the new technology of

xed-bed drying with air reversal, whichcan reduce labor requirement during dry-

ing and can result in beer rice quality.

Principles and techniques of hermetic

storage were discussed, and demonstrationswere conducted using the IRRI Super Bag

and Cocoon. The introduction of the storagetechnique sparked the interest of the partic-ipants, especially when they learned that it

can maintain seed quality even aer severalmonths in storage.

Practices on adaptive research rela-tive to hermetic storage were discussed.

Methods for eective monitoring, sharing,and channeling of information that will be

generated from farmers trials and adoptionwere also established. Key farmers and seedgrowers commied to facilitating and coor-

dinating exchange of information and les-

sons learned from the use and adaptationof postharvest technologies with members

of the alliance.

Bohol Experiment Station head Anto

nio Du highlighted the importance of postharvest technologies such as the mechani-

cal dryer and hermetic storage system inreducing postharvest losses of farmers toincrease their income.

Mr. Abner Montecalvo, PhilRice-Agusan acting branch manager, expressed his

appreciation of the eorts of IRRI and PhilRice in bringing these technologies to thefarmers.

The participants were grateful for thenew knowledge they have gained. All are

expectant of a good output from the adaptation of these technologies, particularly inmaintaining quality of seeds and grains in

their storage and beer operation and maintenance of their FBDs.

Bohol trainees gather around the at-bed dryer being loaded with grain as PhilRice engineer John

Eric Abon gives instrucons.


9/12May-August 2010

The need for interdisciplinary col-

laboration was highlighted duringthe 4th International Conference on

Rodent Biology and Management (ICRBM)

held on 12-16 April in Bloemfontein, South

Africa. Around 140 scientists from 30

countries all over the world gathered in

the ICRBM, which is held every 4 years,

to discuss rodent-related research, issues,

and concerns.

The event, hosted by the University

of Free State in South Africa, was aend-

ed by IRRC coordinator Grant Singleton,

IRRC anthropologists Flor Palis and Rica

Flor, and PhD student Nyo Me Htwe. Par-ticipants talked about research on rodent

physiology, taxonomy, genetics, disease,

behavior, and population dynamics. Stud-

ies on ecology, sociology, management,

and conservation were also discussed.

Dr. Singleton, ICRBM Organizing

Commiee member, discussed insights on

rodent outbreaks in Asia from 2007 to 2009,

the gaps in rodent management, and how

these gaps could be addressed. Dr. Palis

gave a plenary talk entitled Can humans out-

smart rodents? Learning to work collectively and

strategically. She outlined how people have

dealt with rodents throughout history and

presented the case of successful commu-

nity management of rodents in Vietnam.

Ms. Htwe and Ms. Flor also presented theirresearch in Myanmar and the Philippines.

Ms. Flor was awarded the Best Oral Pre-

sentation from a Developing Country for

her presentation.

The event also featured South African

hospitality through social activities such

as a braai (barbecue) dinner, a game drive,

visit to a shebeen, lunch at the art museum,

and a postconference tour. The premiere

of Discovery Channels Swarm Chasers was

also held at the National Museum. This

documentary features Dr. Steve Belmain,

rodent ecology and management expert

and his team as they investigate how ro-

dent outbreaks happen in bamboo- and

rice-growing communities in Chiagong

Bangladesh.In his closing remarks, Professor

Charles Krebs of the University of British

Columbia, Canada, said that rodent re

search has achieved much in species classi

cation, disease research, and other aspects

He highlighted the knowledge gained on

rodent outbreaks and diseases, and the

methods or controls that can be used to ad-

dress them. Prof. Krebs also emphasized

the importance of the interaction between

humans and rodents.

F

armlands, collectively, form the largest

habitat on the globe, supporting a huge

variety of birds. But a global review of

this birdlife has never before been published.The new coee-table book Farmland birds across

the world aims to ll this gap. A special chapter

of the book wrien by IRRI water scientist Bas

Bouman is dedicated to birds occurring in rice

elds around the world.

Today, rice elds represent 15% of the

worlds wetlands. Although not a viable

equivalent of natural wetlands, ooded and

irrigated rice paddies are the richest agro-

ecosystems in terms of waterbirds. Many spe-

cies using rice elds originate in wetlands and

grasslands.

There is abundant seasonal and spa-

tial variation in the habitat, with mosaics of

ooded, moist, and dry elds alternating with

dikes, says Dr. Bouman. Irrigation adds

ditches and water tanks that further enrich

the habitat and provide refuges and reservoirs

for aquatic animals.

Although not a full-edged substitute for

natural wetlands, rice elds are increasinglyrecognized as vital for bird conservation, mi

gratory birds in particular. In the Mediterra-

nean, where most wetlands have been drained

for malaria control and farming, rice elds are

the only wetlands le during the dry summer

and autumn, providing a vital stopover to mi

gratory birds. At least 100 designated Ramsar

sites across the world include rice elds. Ram

sar sites are wetlands of international impor

tance designated under the Ramsar Conven

tion.

The book has been wrien by seven ex

perts in biology and agriculture and compiled

by the Dutch Centre for Agriculture and En

vironment (CLM). It costs 24 or about US$33

plus shipping costs. To order, send an email to

[email protected].

IRRI scienst writes forbook on farmland birds

Internaonal rodent conferenceheld in South Africa

Bas BoumanTrina Leah Mendoza

Rica Joy Flor

Conference parcipants from dierent countries go on an African safari.


10/1210 RIPPLE

In BriefThe wild life of Alex StuartPROFILE

Trina Leah Mendoza

A

lex Stuarts life is anything butboring. The young rodent ecologistfrom Britain thrives on adventure,

and takes on challenges that are not for thefaint of heart or the weak-willed.

Alex is a research ocer at the Verte- brate Pests Unit, School of Biological Sci-ences at the University of Reading, UK.He recently received his PhD in biologicalsciences from the University, where he ex-plored rodent ecology and management inthe complex lowland agro-ecosystems ofthe Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor inthe Philippines.

Alex conducted a pioneering 2-yearstudy of rodent communities along a boundary of intensive rice agriculture,rice-coconut production, and secondary re-generated forests in a remote region of thePhilippines, says Dr. Grant Singleton, oneof his supervisors. This work was con-ducted under trying physical conditionsit would take 3 hours to set a trap line of 15traps in the secondary forest. His strong

commitment and perseverance, coupledwith a nicely thought-out study, led tondings which made us rethink rodentmanagement in these agriculture-forestryecotones.

Alex is no stranger to rodents or livingit rough, having done his MS degree in theIfugao Terraces in the Philippines, study-ing the habitat use and feeding ecology ofnative rodents. Rodents occur throughoutthe world and have received a lot of aen-tion as pests, but very lile is known ontheir ecology, which is important to under-

stand when aempting to control them,says Alex. Many interesting nonpest spe-cies of rodents are benecial to ecosystems,

such as the Striped earth-rat, which eatsgolden apple snails and giant earthwormsthat are destructive to the Ifugao Rice Ter-races.

He fell in love with the beautiful di-verse landscape of Sierra Madre, and thewelcome hospitality of the local people.These and the potential for research tohelp the community and the environmententiced Alex to choose the site. Living nearthe sea where he and his wife, Inyoung,could swim and surf aer a hard day oftrapping rats was a bonus.

His fascination for wildlife began as achild growing up in South Africa, whichhe describes, has abundant wildlife in allshapes and sizes. He has done volunteerwork at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Cen-tre in Thailand, monitoring the behaviorof captive and reintroduced gibbons andeducating visitors. At the Loddon NatureReserve in Berkshire, UK, he helped carryout monthly mammal surveys.

But it was at Mkuze Game Reserve,South Africa, where Alex had his most ter-

rifying encounter with wildlife. During amammal transect count, he ventured alonethrough a bush and accidentally walkedinto a branch. As he stumbled forward,

rubbing his head, he suddenly realized hewas a few feet away from a herd of bualoone of the most dangerous animals in Af-

rica. Luckily, they did not notice him andhe escaped.

Studying rats also exposed him to raand snake bites and diseases, but they areminor setbacks compared to the highshe gets from not knowing what species heis going to catch in a new location. Whilegoing around the traps, every dierenspecies encountered in a trap is like open-ing a Christmas present, he says.

These highs inspire Alex to continueworking on rodents. He plans to developmore sustainable management strategies

for controlling rodent pests, and to developour understanding of the benecial roles ononpest rodents.

Despite frightening encounters withanimals and hardships in the eld, Alexadvises biology students to be open to altypes of animals and not to focus only onthose that look cute and cuddly. All specieshave their own unique characteristics thatmake them fascinating and which earnthem their place in this world.

With his positive, hard-working ai

tude and sense of adventure, it will not besurprising if we hear about Alex next trapping rats in some far-ung area in an exoticcountry, back into the wild.

TRAPPED! Alex Stuart with his furry friend cap-tured in Mt. Sierra Madre, Philippines.

LIFES A BEACH: Alex and wife, Inyoung, onboard a tricycle in Baler, Philippines, their home for 2

years while Alex was doing his PhD.


11/12May-August 2010

Contribung on a global scale

N

ormal. Simple. Ordinary. Wordsused by Shaobing Peng to describehis personal l ife. But the work and

achievements of this scientist from Chinasay otherwise.

Born in Wuhan, Dr. Peng studiedagronomy at Huazhong Agricultural Uni-versity, China, then went on to obtain hismasters degree in crop physiology at theUniversity of California-Davis, USA. Hepursued his PhD in crop physiology at theTexas Tech University, USA. Dr. Peng iscurrently a senior crop physiologist in theCrop and Environmental Sciences Division(CESD) at IRRI.

He has dedicated the past 19 years

at IRRI to studying the yield potential ofood-irrigated and aerobic rice. His otherresearch thrusts include nitrogen-use e-ciency, stress physiology, hybrid rice, cropand natural resource management, and cli-mate change in relation to rice production.

In 2004, he coauthored a paper titledRice yields decline with higher night tem-perature from global warming, whichhighlights the impact of night tempera-ture on rice yields. The paper reportedthat grain yield declined by 10% for each

1 C increase in night temperature dur-ing the crop growing season. The reportdemonstrates that decreased crop yield islinked to increased nighime temperatureassociated with global warming. As a re-sult, other scientists started to focus moreon night temperature during crop growth.This nding also got the aention of majornews outlets worldwide, especially withthe media buzz surrounding global warm-ing.

Global warming is actually more as-sociated with nighime warming; and

it also has a very negative eect on riceyield, explains Dr. Peng. We scientistsare working hard to study the adaptationmechanism in rice varieties, because some[varieties] are more tolerant of warm nighttemperature.

He worked with the IRRC in deter-mining and improving the nitrogen-useeciency in Guangdong Province, China.Together with IRRC coordinator Grant Sin-gleton and IRRI principal scientist RolandBuresh, Dr. Peng collaborated with part-ners at Guangdong Rice Research Institute

(GRRI) on the 3 Controls Technology. Thetechnology is based on the principles ofsite-specic nutrient management (SSNM)

that enables rice farmers to tailor nutrientmanagement (read more on SSNM on page6) to the specic conditions of their eldand provides a framework for best man-agement practices for rice.

Dr. Peng says that they were able towork with Chinese partners in modify-ing nutrient management practices basedon the SSNM principles to suit the envi-ronment and rice production situationin Guangdong. This modication, nowcalled 3 Controls Technology, had positiveoutcomes for the farmers. The technol-

ogy helped reduce crop losses caused bylodging and reduced expenses through adecrease in the application of nitrogen fer-tilizer and insecticide. According to eldstudies done around the province, therewere economic returns of about US$220 perhectare for farmers practicing the technol-ogy. The 3 Controls Technology has nowexpanded from fertilizer management toother aspects of crop management.

As a long-time scientist at IRRI, hecontinues to enjoy working with the peoplein the Institute. A unique aspect of IRRIis that you get a chance to work with andlearn from many scientists from dierent disciplines and cultures. You get professional and personal growth. He alsovalues the contribution of his nationallyrecruited sta, expressing that without hisstas support and hard work, he wouldnhave achieved as much as he did.

Still, Dr. Peng has set more goals forhimself. By working with other scientistshe aims to contribute to eorts that wouldincrease rice yield potential or maximumyield by 10%. He believes that geing the best traits out of a wide range of germplasm and introducing them into locahigh-yielding varieties will help achievethis goal.

Whenever he can, Dr. Peng unwindswith a game of tennis, badminton, or tabletennis. A typical rest day would be spentwith his wife and children at home. He is

also fond of watching basketball games onTV whenever they involve fellow country-man and superstar athlete Yao Ming.

Though he is far from retiring, thiscrop physiologist wants to be rememberedby his research team as nice and pleasanto work with. And even if perhaps I makemistakes, I hope that the scientic community would see me as an honest and reli-able scientist, he says.

Rona Nia Mae Rojas

PROFILE

Dr. Peng (right) examines a rice plant with a Chi-nese collaborator, Prof. Jianchang Yang (le),from Yangzhou University.

ON HOLIDAY. Dr. Peng and his family opt forsome quality me in China during his homeleave from IRRI.


12/12

Volume 5, Number 2May-August 2010

This newsletter is produced by theIrrigated Rice Research Consortium

(IRRC) with support from theSwiss Agency for Development

and Cooperation (SDC). The IRRCpromotes international links amongscientists, managers, communicators,

and farmers in lowland irrigated riceenvironments.

Materials in this newsletter do notnecessarily reect the ofcial views of

IRRI, SDC, or collaborating institutionsof the IRRC.

EdITORIAL ANd

PROdUCTION TEAm

IRRCTrina Leah Mendoza, Grant Singleton,

Rona Nia Mae Rojas,

Jennifer Hernandez

CPSTess Rola, Bill Hardy

CONTRIBUTINg AUTHORSRoland Buresh, Katherine Nelson,

Carlito Balingbing, Rica Joy Flor,Bas Bouman

Please direct further correspondence,comments, and contributions to

Trina Leah MendozaSenior Communication Specialist

International Rice Research InstituteDAPO Box 7777

Metro Manila, PhilippinesEmail: [email protected]

Web:www.irri.or/irrc

RubenLam

payan

Public-private partnerships pushfor AWD in Bangladesh

T

he alternate weing and drying

(AWD) method, an IRRC water-saving technology, is making

waves in Bangladesh and will soon in In-dia and other countries with much help

from the private and public sectors.AWD has been validated as an ef-

cient technology in saving water in ir-

rigated rice systems in Bangladesh andother rice-growing countries aer IRRI

developed and shared it with many na-tional partners, says Dr. Hamid Miah,

IRRI liaison scientist for Bangladesh.Government organizations led by

the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute,Bangladesh Agricultural Development

Corporation, Barendra MultipurposeDevelopment Authority, Rural Develop-ment Academy, and the Department ofAgriculture Extension tested AWD on a

large scale from 2006 until the end of the

2009 winter season. Private companiesSyngenta and PetroChem and the non-

government organization (NGO) Practi-cal Action have also promoted AWD infarmers elds.

Water pump owners, sometimes lo-

cally called waterlords, are now con-

vinced of the importance of AWD, par-ticularly in Rangpur, where RDRS, anNGO, operates. Waterlords earn their in-come by selling water to farmers. Previ-

ously, they doubted whether they wouldearn enough prot if they reduced irriga-

tion frequency or saved on fuel neededto pump water. Now, they have started

to realize the importance of saving re-sources for their countrys economy and

for the environment.In January, RDRS organized an ori-

entation program on AWD and invited

50 people, including 36 pump owners.The waterlords vowed to adopt AWD intheir irrigation command areas and per-suade farmers to try it on at least one of

their plots, if not in all.Syngenta promotes AWD through

the distribution of water tubes, whichthey call pani (the term means water

in Bangladeshi) pipes. They have distrib-uted pani pipes and conducted training

courses on AWD for farmers in SouthAsia (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan),

with plans for other countries in 2010.

On 27-31 April, Syngenta held a rice expo

in Cabanatuan, Philippines, promotingAWD and other technologies to more

than 2,000 farmers, agricultural tech-nologists, seed growers, and other stake-holders.

In Bangladesh, Syngenta conductedthousands of trials in farmers elds,

which resulted in a 3050% reduction inwater consumption per trial plot. Their

results also showed that AWD reducedirrigation cost by 2127%, as well as la-

bor, fuel, and machinery costs. Yields in-

creased by 29%.Syngentas eorts to disseminate

AWD in Bangladesh this year are quite

remarkable, and they plan to include thepani pipe in their educational programaction plan next year in India and Paki-

stan, says Dr. Ruben Lampayan, IRRCWater-Saving Work Group leader.

Through a program called SyngentaConnections, selected agricultural sci-

ence students from Australia will visitIndia for 2 weeks and learn the technol-ogy from Syngentas eld sta. The aim

is for these students to conduct trainingand demonstrations for 3,000 local ricefarmers in the country.

This is really an amazing devel-

opment where a private company withseemingly no direct benets for promot-

ing water-saving technologies is engagedin outscaling our IRRC AWD methodol-ogy based on what we call the eld water

tubes, says Dr. Bas Bouman, IRRI water

scientist. In the eld of natural resource

management, I dont think we have many

such examples!

Dept. of Agriculture Extension officialsobserve the pani pipes in training doneby IRRCs Ruben Lampayan in collabora -tion with BRRI in October 2009.

Trina Leah Mendoza

Documents

Ripple May Aug 2010