AGRI32 Reviewer I. The Rice Tariffication Act or the Republic Act 11203 a. Terms i. Tariffs – are taxes imposed by governments on imported goods ii. Quantitative Restrictions – are limits to the amount of goods that may be imported in to the country. iii. Minimum Access Volume – refers to the volume or quantity of an specific agricultural commodity that may be imported with a lower tariff. b. Quantitative Restriction on Rice Imports i. Reasons why QR is maintained: 1. Protect domestic rice production from the influx of cheap rice; 2. Keep income from rice attractive to encourage more farmers to cultivate rice; 3. Help rice farmers prepare for import competition; and 4. Safeguard food security c. Why should it be amended? i. By removing restrictions that may enter the local market, consumers have greater assurance that rice is available and that they can choose to buy imported rice offered at cheaper price. ii. Benefits of consumers 1. Lower Rice Prices 2. Increased Saving through lower rice expenditure. 3. Collected tariff revenues will be used to support farmers via the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to support projects that will modernize the rice industry and enhance its efficiency. 4. Lower inflation rate II. Rice Diseases and Weeds a. Rice Disease: Sheath Blight i. Microorganism involved: Rhizoctonia solani ii. It is a fungal disease. Infected leaves dry out and die more rapidly, young tillers can also be destroyed. iii. Found in diverse rice production systems, whether upland, rainfed, or irrigated. iv. Occurs throughout the rice-growing areas in temperate, subtropical, and tropical countries b. Rice Weed: Broad-leaved weeds i. Leaves – expanded leaf blade and have various shapes and arrangements of veins. ii. Venation of leaves may be parallel as in monocots or netted as in dicots iii. Schenoclea zeylanica – Erect. Smooth stemmed, annual broadleaf; leaves are simple and alternately arranged with smooth margins; stem is smooth, stout, fleshy, and hollow; height is usually 30150 cm. The green inflorescence is a spike that is cylindrical, dense, and terminal; flowers are crowded and are white to greenish. III. Morphology of Rice a. Growth Phases of Rice Vegetative Reproductive Ripening Phase Phase Phase Variable 35 days 30 Days Germination Panicle I. Flowering Maturity i. Stage 0 Germination to emergence 1. Embryo starts to germinate. ii. Stage 1 Seedling 1. Leaves continue to develop at the rate of 1 every 3-4 days during the early stage. iii. Stage 2 Tillering 1. Tillers displace a leaf as they grow and develop. iv. Stage 3 Stem Elongation 1. Begins from panicle initiation in late maturing- varieties. 2. Stem Elongation and panicle initiation occur simultaneously. v. Stage 4 Panicle Initiation to booting 1. Spikelets become distinct vi. Stage 5 Heading 1. Head of the grain shows up vii. Stage 6 Flowering 1. At flowering, the florets open, anthers protrude, pollen is shed, and florets then close. 2. Plant is most sensitive to stress. viii. Stage 7 Milk Grain 1. The grain starts to fill up with a milky white liquid that can be squeezed out. 2. The top of the panicle forms an arc. ix. Stage 8 Dough Grain 1. Yellow Spikelets 2. Remaining leaves dry up 3. Senescence x. Stage 9 Mature Grain 1. Grains are fully developed, mature, golden yellow, and hard 2. Most of the upper leaves are dry and the panicles bent down. Note that Dough Grain and Mature Grain are the stages that doesn’t need water. Although rice needs a lot of water, it should be in ample amount. The water level should just be 5cm. IV. a. b. c. d. Evaluating and Selecting the Environment for Crop Production Site Characterization for Crop Production i. Approach I. You have the crop, then you need to identify for the suitable area for growing. Steps: 1. Crop Feasibility Study 2. Determination of Possible Location 3. Testing 4. Full Scale Production ii. Approach II. You have the site, then you need to identify the suitable crop for that area. Steps: 1. In-depth characterization of the site/area 2. Identify crop option 3. Testing 4. Full Scale Production Steps in Crop Production i. Site selection and evaluation ii. Land preparation iii. Crop establishment iv. Care and maintenance v. Harvesting and Postharvest handling Evaluating and Selecting the Environment for Crop Production i. Good Location ii. Suitable Site Good Location i. Access to Adequate Infrastructures 1. Farm to Market roads 2. Electricity and water sources 3. Port facilities 4. Communication facilities 5. Post-harvest facilities ii. Favorable socio-economic conditions 1. Peace and order 2. Political stability 3. Availability and cost of manpower 4. Government policies e. Suitable Site: Soil and Climate i. Suitable Soil 1. Soil Function: a) Provides anchorage to Soil Function: the plant, and b) Serves as a medium/reservoir for air, water, nutrients, and beneficial organisms. 2. Soil Properties a. Soil Depth: The top soil is the most fertile layer of the soil profile; Loss of the top soil means significant reduction in agricultural value of the land. For perennial crops, soil should be as deep as possible (at least 80cm) so that roops can penetrate deep. b. Soil Texture: Refers to the relative proportion of soil particles (Sand, silt, clay); Affects soil characteristics. Course-textured soil has lower water holding capacity and CEC unlike Finetextured soil. Course textured soil has a good aeration/drainage unlike Fine-textured soil. Coursetextured soil is also much easier to till than fine textured soil. Loam are ideal for most crops. c. Soil Structure: Refers to the arrangement or clustering of soil particles into characteristic aggregates. A desirable soil structure should be granular and porous; for easy root proliferation. d. Nutrient Content: Macronutrients and Micronutrients must be always available and in balanced amount. Otherwise, toxicities and deficiencies can occur that could lead to reduction in yield. e. Soil pH: pH is the measure of the alkalinity or acidity; affects availability of nutrients and activity of microorganisms. Ideal soil pH is from 6.0-7.0 3. Ideal Soils for Crop Productions a. For Upland Crops: i. Deep ii. Moderate texture iii. Moderate pH iv. Fertile v. High organic matter vi. Well-drained b. For Lowland Crops: i. Deep ii. Excellent Water-Holding Capacity iii. Fertile iv. High Organic Matter v. Moderate pH vi. Fine-texture ii. Favorable Climate 1. Climate refers to the average condition of the atmosphere at a given area. An ultimate determinant of what crop species to grow. It influences all plant physiological and biochemical processes. 2. Components a. Temperature determines the distribution of crop species in the world. b. Light controls practically all aspects of plant growth and development. Two aspects: a)Light Intensity and b)Daylength c. Rainfall is the primary source of water for crop production. Most agricultural country are fully dependent on it. 3. Types of Climate a. Type I i. Two pronounced seasons: Dry from November to April and Wet from May to October. b. Type II i. No distinct dry period; and ii. Maximum rainy period is from November to January c. Type III i. No pronounced maximum rainy period; and ii. With short dry or relatively dry period from November to April. d. Type IV i. Rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. 4. Typhoons are extremely destructive to crops yet beneficial since 47% of rainfall is associated with typhoons. There is an average of 21 typhoons annually. f. Soil i. Ability of soil to provide adequate nutrition on plants depends on four factors: 1. The amount of various essential elements present in the soil; 2. Their forms of combinations; 3. The processes the elements become available to palnts; and 4. The soil solution and pH ii. Optimum pH: 6.0-7.0, also depends on the crop 1. Low pH- Acidic and it causes deficiency of Ca, Mg, Mo, P, N, and K. 2. High pH- Basic/Alkaline and it causes deficiency of Fe, Mn, B, Zn, and Cu. iii. Soil provides 4 needs of Plants 1. Supply of Oxygen 2. Supply of Essential Elements 3. Supply of Water 4. Support plant root system iv. Component of Mineral Soils 1. Mineral Element 2. Organic Matter 3. Water 4. Air g. Composition of Typical Plant: The plant is 85% water and 15% Dry matter wherein 90% are CHO while the rest are other elements. h. Essential Elements are nutrients essential for plant growth. i. Macronutrients: 1. Carbon – Hydrogen – Oxygen (CHO) 2. Nitrogen (N) as a component 3. Phosphorus (P) for stress tolerance 4. Potassium (K) for turgor pressure 5. Calcium (Ca) for cell wall and vigor 6. Magnesium (Mg) for amino acids 7. Sulfur (S) for protein formation ii. Micronutrients: 1. Iron (Fe) for Chlorophyll 2. Zinc (Zn) for Enzyme Systems 3. Manganese (Mn) for DNA formation 4. Copper (Cu) 5. Boron (B) 6. Molybdenum (Mo) 7. Chlorine (Cl) 8. Silicon (Si) 9. Cobalt (Co) 10. Sodium (Na) for Osmotic Regulation 11. Vanadium (V) for Chlorophyll Synthesis Mobile Nutrients They are elements which are translocated readily from old to young leaves when deficiency occurs. Symptoms of deficiency are first manifested on the older leaves. Immobile Nutrients They limited in movement from one part to another. Deficiency symptoms emerge first on young leaves.
