Suchergebnisse

Manual transplanting of rice seedlings in puddled soils is still the most common method of planting rice in the Philippines. However, it is drudgery to farmers and remains to be one of the most labor-intensive operations in rice production. This often results in labor shortages during the planting season. However, transplanted method can increase crop efficiency in using farm inputs. This method requires less seeding rates, reduces the need for costly weeding, facilities removal of off-type plants, and speeds up application of fertilizers and other field operations. In the late 1970s, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) began developing a manual transplanter based on the Chinese 5 - row machine. A modified 6 - row manual transplanter was designed and promoted to the Filipino farmers in 1982 through the MAF - IRRI Industrial Extension Program. The machine was subsequently promoted to other countries of Asia through IRRI and the Regional Network for Agricultural Machinery (RNAM). However, the machine was not adopted primarily owing to socio-economic reasons. The advent of organized farmer groups in the countryside in the 1990s and the support given by the government for agricultural modernization to reduce production costs and make the Filipino farmer competitive with neighboring countries has created a more conducive environment for mechanization, including transplanting operation. This paper reviews the experiences on mechanical transplanters in the Philippines and highlights the need for further research in this area.