Rice Farming Guide From Seeds to Harvesting
SEED SELECTION
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Used a variety that appropriate to the environment
Resistant to insects pest, diseases, & abiotoc stresses (e.g. drought, flood) in
the locality
Have produced relatively & high yield in the adaptability trials
Acceptable to farmers and demanded by local market
LAND PREPARATION
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Clean and repair dikes and ditches
Plow or rotovate the field 21-30 days before planting
Harrow the field every 7 days after plowing
Final-harrow and level the field using a wooden plank or tiller attached leveler
CROP ESTABLISHMENT
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The crop should be planted synchronously after a rest period of at least 30
days to avoid overlapping incidences of insect pest and disease population
The crops should be established in two different ways (transplanted and Direct
Seeded)
1. TRANSPLANTED
 SEEDBED PREPARATION
 Follow the recommended seeding rate of 40kg/ha for inbred seeds and 1518kg/ha for Hybrid seeds
 Use 400 m2 seedbed area for 15- 40 kg seeds for Manual transplanting
Method
 Use 250-300trays for Mechanical Transplanting Method
 Use compost or any fully decomposed organic materials such as
carbonized rice hull or rice straw to help loosen the soil, making pulling of
seedlings easier with less roots damage
 SEED SOAKING and INCUBATION
 Soak seeds in clean water for 12-24 hours
 Wash seeds before and after soaking
 Change soaking water every 5-6hours
 Incubate seeds at 30℃for 24-36 hours or until the roots emerges
 Keeps seeds moist and aerated
 SEED SOWING
 Sow seeds when the roots are starting to come out
 Sow the seeds uniformly
 TRANSPLANTING
 Transplant 18-21 days age of seedlings at 2-3 seedlings/hill for manual
transplanting method
 Transplant 14-18 days age of seedlings for mechanical transplanting
method
 Replant missing hills within 7 Days after transplanting (DAT)
2. DIRECT SEEDED RICE (DSR)
 Prepare the field by following the land preparation procedure of
transplanting method
 Construct small canals (25cm wide and 5 cm deep) surrounding the field
near the dikes and at the middle of field
 Follow the recommended seeding rate of 40-60kg/ha for row seeding and
60-80kg/ha for broadcast seeding
 Soak and Incubate the seeds by following the soaking and incubation
procedure of transplanting method
 Use drum seeder or broadcast pre-germinated seeds evenly onto the field
 Sow extra pre-germinated seeds on the side of the field for replanting
 Replant bare patches within 10 Days after sowing (DAS)
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
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Know and manage the nutrient requirement of the crops
 Visual observation of deficiency symptoms
 Results of nutrient diagnostic and decision support tools
 Other available information
 Example of Diagnostic and Decision Support Tools
 Leaf Color Chart (LCC)- Tools to assess the nitrogen status of the crop
using a 4 color
 Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service (RCMAS)- An ICT-based platfrom
for rapidly deploying improved and rice farming management
technologies
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Know the right element, amount and timing of fertilizer application
WATER MANAGEMENT
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Achieve 3-5 cm water depth every irrigation time from early tillering until 2
weeks before crop maturity or harvest
Drain water or stop irrigation 1-2 weeks before harvest
 For medium textured soil or during dry season, drain 1 week before
harvest
 For fine texture soil or during wet season, drain 2 weeks before harvest
Practice Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) aided by observation well
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Beneits of AWD; Corretcs water use in irrigated lowland rice; Aids in
proper seed germination and seedling survival, tillering and grain
uniformity,promotes better soil nutrients, minimize golden apple snail
attack; stabilize soil and plant base, helps minimize crop lodging and
Reduces farm inputs such as oil and fuel and labor.
PEST MANAGEMENT
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Use varieties that are resistant to pest and prevalent in the locality
 Using resistant varieties is the primary defense against pests. With a
resistant host plant, very minor pest management activities are required.
Practice synchronous planting after a 30-day rest period
 Planting within a month of the community's typical planting time helps
decrease pest damage. It cuts off the pest's food supply and prevents the
pest from multiplying further.
Regularly check crops from early stages to identify potential pests.
HARVEST MANAGEMENT
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Drain field 1 to 2 weeks before the expected date of harvesting
 Benefits: to attain uniform maturity and ripening, to prevent wetting of
the grain during harvesting and to easy operation in the field
Harvest at the right maturity, when 85-90% (manual) or 90-95% (combine
harvester) of the grains are golden yellow
Harvest at the right grain moisture content (MC)