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Undaunted by Drought
| By Pinoy Farmer | April 24, 2009 |  |
It is projected that water crisis will be felt worldwide by 2025. This warning goes side by side with the looming effects of climate change. Drought is a possibility, or it has already taken its course in many areas of the country. This scenario poses great challenge to rice production. Among cereals in terms of production, rice is the number one water consumer. Approximately 3,000 liters of water is needed to harvest one kilogram of rice.
Does this mean a stop in rice production in drought-prone areas?
Not necessarily.
Preparing for drought
Through the study, “Exploiting somaclonal variation in developing rice tolerant to drought stress”, the group led by Dr. Nenita V. Desamero of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) nominated drought-resistant lines for National Cooperative Trials (NCT) using somaclonal variation.
Somaclonal variation is the term used to refer to the variations seen in plants brought about by plant tissue culture.
The group subjected seed-derived IR 64 to in vitro culture using anther, mature seed, and young inflorescence as explants. Explants are any portion taken from a plant to initiate a culture.
During the in vitro culture, changes were introduced to the explants like improving their resistance to drought. Following a series of crosses, the group was able to derive elite lines that exhibit drought-resistance.
At least nine in vitro culture (IVC)-derived lines outyielded check varieties PSB Rc14 and PSB Rc82. They had an average yield of 4.428 t/ha to 5.767 t/ha compared with 3.906 t/ha and 3.896 t/ha yields of the check varieties. These nine lines were elevated to elite lines which qualified them to NCT. From these, IVC-2 and IVC -21 were entered for NCT’s multi-location evaluation for drought-prone rainfed lowland in 2008 Wet Season Trial.
All in all, it took the group six seasons to complete the process, which would have taken 11 seasons using the conventional method that is, from crosses to the selection of elite lines. One rice cropping season is equivalent to about three months.
Impact on rice farming
In 2007, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) recorded more than 17,000 ha of drought-damaged areas in the Philippines.
BAS reported that it was equivalent to more than PhP1B production losses. This is the reason why farmers chose to plant other crops so they can have alternative sources of income.
“Usually, kapag na drought kami, wala na. Zero talaga. Nagtatanim na lang kami ng melon (Usually, during drought periods, we get zero harvest. We just plant watermelon),” said Dennis Aguha, a farmer from a drought area in Libungan, Midsayap, North Cotabato.
Drought-resistant varieties will be a big leap for farmers like Dennis. They can continue to plant rice even when drought seems persistent.
Source: Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture
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