www.irri.

org/irrc/

July-September 2007, Vol. 2, No. 3

April 2006, Vol. 1, No. 2

International Rice Research Institute

Irrigated Rice Research Consortium

Rice Research for Intensied Production and Prosperity in Lowland Ecosystems

RIPPLE is produced by the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The IRRC promotes international links among scientists, managers, communicators, and farmers in lowland irrigated rice environments.

In this issue
Research streams ........... 3 AWD technology gains momentum in Bangladesh The truth about alternate wetting and drying The pursuit of watersaving continues in Vietnam Ripples of change ........... 7 Integrated weed management in Nepal Humans outsmarting rats in Vietnam Fun-lled farmers eld day and forum Hermetic storage: a hot topic in Indonesia New edition of Rice: A Practical Guide to Nutrient Management Waves of action .............10 Rice science and farmers A quest to increase Indonesias national rice supply A different take on pest management Profiles.................................13 Getting her hands dirty The doctor is out and about Publications and ............15 upcoming events

Aerobic rice: responding to water scarcity

Professor Wang Huaqi, an aerobic rice breeder from China Agricultural University, stands in an aerobic rice eld close to Beijing that a farmer planted with one of his varieties.

ood and water are two of the most important necessities for survival, but, with an increasing demand for food and a looming water crisis, a shortage of both may be on the horizon unless innovative technologies are developed. Water, especially, is fast becoming a precious commodity, as more and more people continue using water for the household, industry, and agriculture. Scientists are now taking on the challenging task of developing rice production systems that can cope with water scarcity. We begin this special water-saving issue of RIPPLE with an introduction to a technology that enables rice to be grown in dry land without ooding, and help farmers cope with water scarcity: the aerobic rice system.

Less is more

Aerobic rice is a new way of growing rice that needs less water than lowland rice. It is grown like an upland crop such as wheat, in soil that is not puddled, ooded, or saturated. The soil is therefore aerobic or with oxygen throughout the growing season, as compared to traditional ooded elds, which are anaerobic. The difference, however, between aerobic rice and upland rice is that aerobic rice produces higher yields, 46 tons per hectare and perhaps beyond. This is possible because the crop is grown in aerobic soil but cared for with external inputs such as supplementary irrigation (if rainfall is insufcient) and fertilizers. This new way of growing rice started as early as the mid-1980s in

China. To differentiate it from traditional upland rice, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) coined the term aerobic rice. Aerobic rice can be considered a mature technology in temperate countries such as northern China and Brazil, where aerobic rice area is estimated at 80,000 and 250,000 hectares, respectively. In both countries, breeding programs since the 1980s have resulted in the release of several highyielding aerobic rice varieties by crossing high-yielding lowland rice varieties with traditional upland types. In northern China, new highyielding aerobic varieties such as Han Dao 277, Han Dao 297, and Han Dao 502 were released in the late 1990s with yield potential of up to
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Bas Bouman

Aerobic rice...from page 1

To control weeds, the use of pre- or post-emergence herbicides is recommended when weed pressure is high, plus additional manual or mechaniProf. Yang Xiaoguang (left) and Ms. Zhao Junfang cal weeding (right) from CAU study the panicles of aerobic rice variety HD502 with Dr. Bas Bouman (center) at in the early Changping Research Station near Beijing. phases of crop growth. 6.5 tons per hectare. After a Yield decline has also 20-year breeding program in been experienced after Brazil, aerobic rice varietgrowing aerobic rice conies have yielded 57 tons tinuously each year on the per hectare under sprinkler same piece of land. Possible irrigation in farmers elds. reasons for declining yields In the tropics, aerobic or even failures to grow crops rice systems are still very for the rst time in an area much in the research and could be soil-borne pests development phase. IRRI and diseases such as fungi, started to develop varietnematodes, and root aphids, ies for the Asian tropics in particularly in the tropics. 2001. The rst generation of Current research focuses tropical aerobic rice varieton determining the causes of ies consists of IR55423-01 yield decline under continu(Apo) and UPLRI-5 from the ous cropping, and on developPhilippines, B6144-MR-6-0-0 ing resistant varieties, suitable from Indonesia, and CT6510management options such as 24-1-2 from Colombia. These crop rotation, and integrated varieties were mostly derived weed management practices. from crosses between indica and tropical japonica parents. Latest research Current research foIn the Philippines, parcuses on the development ticipatory testing of aerobic of improved management systems and on breeding further improved varieties.
Wang Huaqi

rice by farmers is being done in the provinces of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, and Bohol. The 2003-05 experiments produced yields of up to 6.4 tons per hectare. Farmers in India are also trying out aerobic rice in their elds, and they have identied wellperforming varieties. Water savings were also achieved at 3040% for production levels of 4 tons per hectare. (Learn more about Indias progress in RIPPLE Vol. 2, No. 2.) Varieties are being tested in Lao PDR, while activities in northeast Thailand are set to evaluate genotypes and start on-farm tests to overcome problems of labor shortage and weeds. Experiments are actively ongoing in China, and the Chinese experience of developing aerobic rice will be highlighted at the International Workshop on Aerobic Rice set for 22-25 October (see page 7 for details).

Airing out aerobic rice

Various activities are being done to extend aerobic rice to farmers. Demonstrations are being held for farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders at most experimental sites in China, the Philippines, India, and Thailand. In the Philippines,

Managing aerobic rice

The usual way of planting aerobic rice is the same as how you would plant wheat or maizeby dry direct seeding. And, like these cereal crops, aerobic rice can be rainfed, supplementary irrigated, or fully irrigated. However, compared with ooded rice, weeds pose a bigger threat in aerobic soils.
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the technology is included in a number of training packages on water-saving technologies in rice production. Training courses for farmers and irrigation engineers have been organized at the Philippine Rice Research Institute and in several provinces in the Philippines. In China, aerobic rice concepts are circulated through two national extension networks. Seminars have been organized at all sites for the targeted farming communities. The China Central Television network, a major TV network in the country, is coordinating with the China Agricultural University to produce a video on aerobic rice to be shown nationwide. Internationally, information on aerobic rice is shared through the IRRC and the CGIAR-Challenge Program on Water and Food (through the STAR project). Lectures have been given in the Philippines and in Vietnam. Posters and oral presentations were given at conventions and at various Chinese national conferences and workshops. With predictions suggesting that many Asian countries will have severe water problems by 2025, aerobic rice gives hope to farmers who do not have access to enough water to grow ooded lowland rice. The Water-Saving Work Group of the IRRC is committed to further developing this new technology and making it available to farmers in Asia.
Trina Mendoza (t.mendoza@cgiar.org), Ruben Lampayan (r.lampayan@cgiar.org), and Bas Bouman (b.bouman@cgiar.org)

Ruben Lampayan

Farmers experiment with hand dibbling of tropical aerobic rice (Apo variety) in Central Luzon, Philippines.
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Research streams

AWD technology gains momentum in Bangladesh

After years of eld tests, the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology is now ofcially promoted by the Bangladeshi government and is being adopted by its farmers. In December 2005, Dr. T.P. Tuong, head of the Crop and Environmental Sciences Division of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), made a presentation on water-saving technologies at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institutes (BRRI) Department of Water Management. Dr. M.A. Sattar, department head, used some of the concepts, submitted a proposal to the government, and received funds to test AWD in elds. Fast forward to February 2007, when Dr. Tuong conducted a seminar with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to discuss the implementation of AWD in farmers elds. These initiatives led to the testing of AWD by the Asian Development Bank-funded project Development and Dissemination of Water-Saving Rice Technologies in South Asia, and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). On 14 May, a group of high-level professionals, policymakers, and farmers attended a crop-cutting ceremony at BADCs Madhupur Farm, where AWD is being tested during the current boro (winter) season. The Irrigated Rice Research Consortium supported the attendance of Dr. Tuong. Mr. Md. Abdul Aziz, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, inaugurated the harvesting. He asked the countrys Agriculture Information Service to be more active in promoting the technology, and stressed the

Bangladeshi farmers harvest boro rice under AWD conditions. The potential of AWD to reduce water input and its effect on yield and water productivity depend on soil type, groundwater table depth, and climate.

Mr. Md. Abdul Aziz, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture (middle), observes the crop grown under AWD conditions. Dr. Hamid Miah, IRRI liaison scientist for Bangladesh (with white hat), and BADC staff look on.

need to work with NGOs and other countries. Since AWD can possibly aggravate weed problems, he discouraged the use of herbicides. He emphasized that Bangladesh should save labor by using the drum seeder for direct seeding, save urea by using the leaf color chart, and save water by adopting AWD to make rice cultivation more protable. The crop was transplanted on 8 February and grown under AWD technology. It needed only 5 irrigations, while conventional practice needed 9 irrigations. Under AWD, paddy yield was 8.4 tons per hectare, while the conventional practice produced 8.1 tons per hectare. After learning about the yield and water savings, Mr. Aziz directed the BADC to validate this method on 1% of land on its 23 farms all over the country. He also asked research and development organizations of the country to prepare an action plan to validate AWD on a wider scale for the boro season next year. The Barendra Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), a government organization, was asked to adopt AWD more intensively,

because their clients are farmers who have to pay for water. Therefore, the BMDA is the perfect body to test the benet of the technology. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) was asked to be the lead agency in different parts of the country to expose farmers to the technology, while BRRI was directed to monitor the protability for farmers and their level of acceptance. During the conference, Dr. M. Zainul Abedin, IRRI representative for Bangladesh, highlighted the background and need for water-saving technologies in the country. Keynote speaker Dr. Tuong described the details of water-saving technology through AWD, and presented impressive statistics that highlighted the advantages of saving water and the associated irrigation costs. The technique was quite new for many of the 90 participants from BADC, DAE, BMDA, and the other NGOs present. After Dr. Tuongs presentation, a discussion was facilitated by BADC Chairman Mr. Abdur Razzaque. The ceremony created awareness among the partici> continued on next page
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AWD technology...from page 3

pants, who expressed optimism about the technology. Special guests included Dr. Nur-E-Elahi, BRRI director general, Dr. Rahim Uddin Ahmed, DAE director general, and Mr. Abdul Mannan, BMDA executive director. Dr. M.A. Hamid Miah, IRRI liaison scientist for Bangladesh, synthesized the points of discussion: a) AWD has reduced the frequency of irrigation without affecting yield, and yield was even a little higher in AWD-treated elds. Water saved through this technique can help increase the irriga-

tion command area, or the area served by a specic tube well, by at least 10%. b) The cost of irrigation decreased, reducing farmers production cost. This has positive effects for shortages in diesel fuel and groundwater depletion. c) AWD is an easy technology for farmers to use. Farmers buying water by volume are likely to be fast adopters of this technology. d) The extra cost of weeding is compensated for by saving on fuel cost and extra yield. Thus, farmers may not receive cash benets immediately, but large-scale

adoption has a positive environmental impact nationally. Dr. Hamid Miah suggested that partnership be developed with BADC, BRRI, BMDA, DAE, IRRI, the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Rural Development Academy, Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), electronic media, and NGOs. In another event, Dr. Tuong presented an invited seminar for the scientic community on technologies for efcient use of water in rice production at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research

Council on 15 May. It drew around 60 scientists and managers in the water and agricultural sectors, and was well covered by the media. The seminar promoted further awareness on water management issues and presented the Water-Saving Work Groups efforts to help solve them. A training course on AWD is being planned for August this year at BRRI, to be facilitated by Dr. Ruben Lampayan (IRRC Water Saving WG leader) and scientists of BRRIs Department of Water Management.
M.A. Hamid Miah (h_miah@irribd.org) and T.P. Tuong (t.tuong@cgiar.org), photos by M. Abdul Mannan

The truth about alternate wetting and drying

stress that would result in potentially severe yield loss. The threshold of 15 centimeters is called safe AWD, because this will not cause yield decline since the roots of the rice plants will take up water from the saturated soil and the perched water in the roots. The eld water tube helps farmers see this hidden source of water. In safe AWD, water savings may be relatively small, around 15%, but yield will not be smaller. After creating condence that safe AWD does not reduce yield, farmers may experiment by lowering the threshold level for irrigation to 20, 25, or 30 centimeters, or even deeper. A decrease in yield may be acceptable when the price of water is high or when water is very scarce. In safe AWD, the following rules should be observed. AWD irrigation can be used

n alternate wetting and drying (AWD), the eld is allowed to dry for a certain number of days before applying irrigation water. The number of days that the soil is left dry can vary from 1 day to more than 10 days. A practical way to implement AWD is to monitor the depth of the water table in the eld using a perforated or punctured water tube. After an irrigation application, the eld water depth will gradually decrease in time. When the water level (as measured in the tube) is 15 centimeters below the surface of the soil, it is time to irrigate and ood the soil with a depth of around 5 centimeters. Around owering, from 1 week before to 1 week after the peak of owering, ponded water should be kept at a 5-centimeter depth to avoid any water
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BANGLADESHThis AWD eld (on the right) received only 5 irrigations and produced paddy yield of 8.4 tons per hectare, while the conventionally ooded eld (on the left), had 9 irrigations and yielded 8.1 tons per hectare.

from a few days after transplanting (or a 10-centimetertall crop after direct seeding) until rst heading. In the period of rst heading to 1 week after owering, keep the eld ooded at a 5-centimeter depth. After that, during grain lling and ripening, apply AWD again. When many weeds are present in the early stages of crop growth, the implementation of AWD can

be postponed for 23 weeks until weeds have been suppressed by the ponded water. Under safe AWD, no special nitrogen (N) management routine is needed and local recommendations for ooded rice can be used. Apply N fertilizer preferably on the dry soil just before irrigation is applied.
Bas Bouman (b.bouman@cgiar.org)

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M. Abdul Mannan

The pursuit of water-saving continues in Vietnam

ince 2005, the WaterSaving Work Group of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) has established activities on water management and watersaving in rice in the Mekong Delta in collaboration with Vietnams Plant Protection Department (PPD). After an initial eld visit of staff from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to the Central Delta region and a 1-day workshop at Long Xuyen in An Giang Province in January 2005, the PPD and An Giang Department of Agriculture organized a series of training activities for farmers and established demonstration elds on alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology. Subsequent outreach activities resulted in 161 farmers testing AWD on 168 hectares in 11 districts of An Giang in the winter 2005/ spring 2006 seasons, followed by around 1,500 farmers on 1,700 hectares in the summer of 2006. In Tien Giang, 31 farmers tried out AWD in the summer, while 51 tested it in the autumn of 2006. In central Vietnam, PPD also tested AWD in Quang Nam, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An. In outreach activities, AWD technology was integrated in the successful Three Reductions, Three Gains program, which proved to be a good example of the integrated crop management approach. By asking farmers to record all operations, inputs, and outputs obtained during the cropping season, this gave them an idea of the yield obtained and yield-contributing factors,

MEKONG DELTAThe perched tube is a simple tool used in implementing AWD for deciding when to irrigate elds.

and if there were any savings in water and irrigation (pumping) costs. An initial analysis of data from around 900 farmer respondents in the summer of 2006 in An Giang conrmed that AWD reduced water use and pumping costs. AWD farmers had, on average, two pumping operations (to irrigate their elds) less than the regular practice of continuous ooding, saving around 200,000 Vietnamese Dong (US$13) per hectare. Yields were signicantly higher with AWD (5.63 tons per hectare) than with the regular practice (5.36 tons per hectare), although in absolute terms, the differences were quite small. An important factor contributing to higher yields under AWD management seemed to be a decrease

in lodging (rice plants falling over), which is often associated with wet seeding, commonly practiced in the Mekong Delta. With AWD, lodging was on average 10%, whereas, with standard practice, it was on average 19%. In late 2006, an extensive baseline survey was done in the Mekong Delta area where farmers are adopting AWD, to determine their attitudes toward and practices for water management. With the initial promising results of AWD in the Mekong Delta, plans were developed to take water-saving technologies to other parts of Vietnam where water is scarcer than in the Mekong Delta. On 6 March, Dr. T.P. Tuong, head of the Crop and Environmental Sciences Division of IRRI, gave a

presentation on Water-saving irrigation: from research to technology dissemination, focusing on AWD, at the Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute (SFRI). The seminar was organized by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) and was attended by some 30 leaders and scientists from VAAS, SFRI, PPD, the Directorate of Science and Technology of MARD, Food Crops Research Institute (FCRI), the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Extension, and Hanoi Agricultural University. On 3 May, Dr. Bas Bouman (IRRI), Dang Thanh Phong (provincial PPD), and Le Quoc Cuong (PPD) organized a 1-day training course and workshop on water management and water-saving technologies hosted by the Northern Regional Plant Protection Center in Hung Yen Province. Some 40 participants from provincial PPDs in the Red River Delta attended the training, as well as representatives from FCRI, SFRI, and World Vision. The training included lectures on AWD and on sound water management practices such as land leveling, bund maintenance, and construction of eld channels. After the lectures, a forum was organized, followed by a short brainstorming with the participants on the usefulness and potential dissemination of the presented technologies in their own regions in the Red River Delta. At the end of the day, posters and folders in Vietnamese and tubes
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Bas Bouman

The pursuit...from page 6

to monitor eld water depth to assist in the implementation of AWD were distributed to all the participants. Three VAAS institutes have expressed great interest in contributing to further research, scientic development, and dissemination of water-saving technologies in Vietnam (especially AWD): FCRI, SFRI, and the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Institute (NOMAFSI). During a meeting at FCRI on 2 May, Dr. Bouman met with VAAS President Dr. Nguyen Van Bo, FCRI Director Dr. Nguyen Van Tuat, SFRI Director Dr. Bui Huy Hien, and several staff members to discuss further collaboration on water management. The rst research already began at SFRI in 2005 with eld experiments that looked at the integrated effects of AWD and improved nutrient management on rice

production at three locations in Vietnam. This was an activity with the IRRC Productivity and Sustainability Work Group. In May 2007, plans were made to start eld experiments on AWD under different water table depths at the research station of FCRI at Gialoc, Haiduong. Exciting opportunities were identied to link the IRRC Water-Saving Work Group with another consortium hosted by IRRIthe Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE)through collaboration with VAAS-NOMAFSI in the mountainous regions of northern Vietnam. One of the projects under the umbrella of CURE is part of the Challenge Program on Water and Food. One of the projects aims is to disseminate water management technologies for rice to increase water productivity and make better

Extension materials developed by the Work Group have been translated into the local language and intensively used by extension workers and farmers in Vietnam.

use of scarce water resources. During a project eld trip to Yen Bai Province on 4-7 May, technologies developed by the Work Group, such as AWD and aerobic rice, were identied as very promising options for farmers growing lowland rice in inland valleys or on terraces on sloping hillsides. Plans were drafted for the establishment of demonstration elds of AWD and participatory variety selection for aerobic rice for the spring rice

crop in 2007 and 2008. Also, further experimentation on AWD and/or aerobic rice can be pursued at the research station of NOMAFSI at Phu Tho. As follow-up to these developments on water-saving technologies at the VAAS institutes, a training course and planning workshop are set for September or October 2007.
Bas Bouman (b.bouman@cgiar. org), T.P. Tuong (t.tuong@cgiar. org), and Ruben Lampayan (r. lampayan@cgiar.org)

Aerobic rice workshop in October 2007

together breeders and scientists who are working on the development and dissemination of aerobic rice in Asia. During the workshop, participants will present and discuss results from past years of research on variety development; water, crop, and nutrient management; mapping of yield potentials and water needs of aerobic rice; socioeconomic analysis of farming households growing aerobic rice; and adoption of aerobic rice. With China being the host country for this workshop, special attention will be given to the Chinese experience with aerobic rice. Expected outputs of the workshop will be shared learning about aerobic rice development, identied target domains for aerobic rice in Asia, and identied For more information, contact In China: Dr. Tao Hongbin, secretariat of the Organizing Committee in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094 China. Tel: 86-10-62733761 Fax: 86-10-62731298 E-mail: hongbintao@cau.edu. cn At IRRI, Philippines: Mrs. Lolit Adriano, secretariat of the Organizing Committee at IRRI. Tel: +62 (2) 580-5600 Fax: +63 (2) 580 5699 E-mail: l.adriano@cgiar.org new priorities for research. The working language will be English, for both oral presentations and poster sessions.

he China Agricultural University (CAU) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will organize the International Workshop on Aerobic Rice on 2225 October in Beijing, China. This workshop is a joint undertaking of the Water-Saving Work Group of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium and the project Developing a System of Temperate and Tropical Aerobic Rice (STAR) in Asia of the CGIAR-Challenge Program on Water and Food. The workshop will bring
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Bas Bouman

Ripples of change

Integrated weed management in Nepal

s part of the continuing effort of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortiums (IRRC) program to build capacity, it stretches its helping hand to Nepal, where the rice-wheat cropping system is common. Weeds are among the major constraints in the ricewheat system. To address this problem, 15 of Nepals researchers and technical ofcers were equipped with knowledge and understanding about weeds and their ecology and control. The training on integrated weed management was conducted on 25-27 April. It was spearheaded by Dr. Jagat

Ranjit of Nepals National Agricultural Research Council in collaboration with David Johnson and Joel Janiya of the IRRC Labor Productivity Work Group, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Topics covered in the training were introduction to weed management, weed identication and classication, weed population dynamics and survival, crop-weed interaction, tillage-weed interaction, weed control methods, and herbicide application. The team of trainers included Dr. Dharma Raj Dangol, who delivered a lecture on weed identication

Dr. David Johnson (middle) shows how to use a sprayer properly when applying herbicides.

and herbarium preparation; Dr. Madhav Joshi, who gave a talk on tillage-weed interaction; and Dr. Ranjit, who gave a lecture on the positive value of weeds, weeds associated with different crops, and herbicide use in Nepal. Dr.

Johnson and Mr. Janiya presented a range of topics that included hands-on exercises and group discussion.
Joel Janiya (j.janiya@cgiar. org) and David Johnson (d.johnson@cgiar.org)

Humans outsmarting rats in Vietnam

An Giang sub- PPD

ietnamese farmers in the provinces of Ha Nam and An Giang collectively practice control actions against rodents, one of the top three pests in the country. Community action and the use of the community trap barrier system are the key management strategies implemented in Vietnam and Indonesia by the project Sustainable implementation of ecological rodent management. This is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. The projects objectives are related to the goals of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium, particularly in disseminating mature lowland rice technologies. IRRC Coordinator Dr. Grant Singleton, a rodent expert, is the project leader at the International Rice Research Institute. Now in its second year,

Farmers in An Giang, Vietnam, ood the burrows of rats, one of their traditional methods of rodent management.

the project held a review and planning workshop for Vietnam in Ha Nam Province on 19-20 April to discuss the lessons learned from activities in 2006what needs to be improved, what went well, and what to do for 2007 and beyond. A few days before the meeting, a training event on the biology of rats and ecologically based rodent management (EBRM) was conducted by Dr. Peter Brown of the Australian Common-

wealth Scientic and Research Organisation (CSIRO), together with Dr. Nguyen Tuan of the Plant Protection Institute (PPI). The participants were staff of provincial plant protection departments (PPD) and plant protection stations of the district sites, and village extension ofcers. Dr. Peter Roebeling of CSIRO (project coordinator) and Mr. Huan of PPD South organized the workshop, assisted by

Mr. Tran Thanh Tung. Dr. Roebeling gave an overview of the workshops objectives. Results of the projects rst year of implementation were presented by Ms. Nga of Ha Nam and Mr. Lam of An Giang. Dr. Florencia Palis presented initial results of the survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Ha Nam and An Giang. Interestingly, farmers identied television and video as preferred pathways for receiving information on new technologies. Developing a video will help extension staff promote EBRM among farmers in Vietnam. Scaling-up of project activities to the government and nongovernment organizations, and institutions in other districts, is the top priority for this year, with scaling-out to farmers set for the following year.
Florencia Palis (f.palis@cgiar.org)
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Joel Janiya

Fun-filled farmers field day and forum

fertilizer recommendations for their own elds. When asked how to manage their rat problems, Dr. Singleton said that the trap barrier system is only one tool that is ideal for severe infestations, and he encouraged the whole community to participate. He emphasized further that farmers should rst learn the rats breeding system and its relationship with its environment, to know when and how to manage its population. Engr. Corales urged farmers to shop for ideas on technologies during events such as this, and to cooperate and help each other. When you do things together, hand in hand, no one will stumble, she said. (Get to know more about technology promotion expert Aurora Corales on page 13.) As the forum came to a close near noon, it was clear that, based on the turnout of participants and the spirited discussion among them, the farmers in Pangasinan were receptive and eager for effective rice-growing technologies and venues such as this to learn them from.
Text and photos by Trina Mendoza (t.mendoza@cgiar.org)

ne bright, summer day in San Jacinto, Pangasinan Province, Philippines, farmers and scientists gathered enthusiastically for a farmers eld day and forum on ricegrowing technologies. About 148 farmers, local government staff, extension specialists, and municipal agriculturists from ve towns came on 9 March, along with 9 guests from the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the Department of Agriculture (DA). The event was made possible through partnership among the local government unit of Barangay Lobong, San Jacinto; PhilRice; and the International Rice Research Institute through the IRRC. Participants rst visited the rice eld of farmer Francisco Aquino, a farmerpartner who began using sitespecic nutrient management (SSNM) in November 2006. After a ceremonial harvesting of his crops, a lively forum between farmers and experts began. The experts on the panel were Engr. Aurora Corales and Mr. Rolando San Gabriel of PhilRice, municipal agriculture ofcer Florentino Batin, DA regional eld
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unit representative Wilfredo Pallaya, and Mr. Joel Janiya, Dr. Ruben Lampayan, and Dr. Grant Singleton of the IRRC. Questions varied from ghting leaf blight disease (the yellowing and wilting of leaves and seedlings) to the inevitable global warming concern. Regarding the attack of tungro, a viral disease caused by green and zigzag leafhoppers, Mr. Janiya advised farmers to practice synchronous planting, which means planting areas within 2 weeks of each other. Dr. Lampayan, on the question of how much fertilizer is needed and when to apply it, advocated use of the leaf color chart and SSNM as a guide to help farmers make

IRRCs Dr. Ruben Lampayan (second from right) and Dr. Grant Singleton (extreme right) look at a collage of pictures showing activities by the local government unit, PhilRice, and IRRI.

Farmer-partner Francisco Aquino shares his experiences with SSNM. Last year, he harvested 4.4 tons from his 1-hectare eld using traditional practices. This year, he harvested 4.8 tons using SSNM. He is now excited to try the alternate wetting and drying technology.
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IRRI

Hermetic storage: a hot topic in Indonesia

public-sector involvement in the promotion and dissemination of the technology. In the afternoon session, the 40 participants identied additional adaptive research needs and discussed issues related to national dissemination to farming communities. As an immediate followup, a research team was formed to collect regionspecic data on potential target groups and their existing storage practices. Standardization of testing

ecision-makers and researchers from national and provincial research institutions from West Java, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, and South Sulawesi, extension workers from West Java, and distributors of hermetic storage systems from the Philippines and Indonesia gathered on 24 March at ICFORD, Bogor, to discuss issues and strategies to disseminate hermetic storage systems to farmers in Indonesia. Five years of research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and three years in Indonesia have shown that hermetic or airtight storage can help double the life of rice seeds, maintain good milling quality, and protect grains from pests such as insects and rodents, without using pesticides. In a hermetic storage system such as the IRRI Super Bag, the atmosphere inside the storage container is modied through biological activities in the grain and respiration of insects, resulting in a drop in oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide levels. In this modied atmosphere, insects cannot survive. The meeting was conducted as part of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) activities in Indonesia. It was organized by the IRRI Indonesia ofce and hosted by the Indonesian Center for Food Crop Research and Development (ICFORD). During the meeting, researchers from the Indonesian Center for Postharvest Research

methods and hermetic storage systems was another important issue to be addressed. Providing training to farmer intermediaries and farmers is critical for a successful introduction of the technology. This can be complemented with information dissemination through the Indonesian Rice Knowledge Bank. For national dissemination, the hermetic storage systems can be introduced through the Indonesian Prima Tani Program, which focuses on accelerating the transfer of research results to Indonesian farmers.
Martin Gummert (m.gummert@cgiar.org)

The farmer-friendly Super Bag is a perfect sample of hermetic or airtight storage. It costs only US$1.10, and ts as a liner inside existing storage bags..

and Development (ICAPRD), the Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR), and the provincial technology assessment centers (BPTPs) in Medan, Makassar, and Palembang gave updates on research ndings in Indonesia. IRRI provided a summary of ndings in other countries. Representatives from Grainpro Inc., the international supplier of commercial hermetic storage systems and the IRRI Super Bag, and from the Agribusiness Club Jakarta, distributor of the locally made hermetic bag Kantong Semar, introduced their products. Participants agreed that hermetic storage is a practical technology that can improve storage of rice seeds, paddy, and other crops. Several private seed companies in Indonesia have already started buying hermetic storage systems, but the anticipated adoption of farmers still requires

New edition of Rice: A Practical Guide to Nutrient Management

Edited by T. Fairhurst, C. Witt, R. Buresh, and A. Dobermann

his 2nd edition of the practical guide became necessary to be consistent with newer developments on site-specic nutrient management. The pocket-sized guide introduces the concept of yield gaps and the underlying constraints. The functions of each nutrient are explained in detail, with a description of the deciency symptoms and recommended strategies for improved nutrient management. The 47-page color annex provides a pictorial guide to the identication of nutrient deciencies in rice. This 2nd edition is about to be translated into several languages, including Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. To make this guide as widely accessible as possi-

ble, the publishers decided not only to sell the guide through their Web sites and bookstores, but also to make the guide available in electronic format (pdf) at the Web sites of IRRI (www.irri.org) and the Southeast Asia Program of IPNI and IPI (www.ipni.net/ seasia) using a Creative Commons attribution-noncommercial-share alike license: http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0.
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Ripple July-September 2007

Waves of action

Rice science and farmers

Gone are the heydays of scientists old blanket prescriptions on pest control and fertilizer application. A paradigm shift from prescriptions to decisions has occurred, and this is proven by new concepts and technologies that are often shared with farmers using the participatory approach. In this chapter of her book Rice in Our Life, Philippine national scientist and outstanding rural sociologist Dr. Gelia Castillo talks about rice science technologies and products, including some of the IRRC technologies.

hen, in 1961, the International Rice Research Institute rose from Higamot Hill, which was once a rustic area planted to coconuts, citrus, bananas, and pineapples, a well-known Filipino educator who was visiting the place said: Somehow I nd it difcult to see the connection between this 20th-century Institute and the man who plants rice. Five years after that remark, IRRI turned over to the Philippine government 50 tons of IR8 seeds. In addition, IRRI distributed 5 tons in two-kilogram packages to the rst 2,359 farmers to request such seed in person at the Institute. The press popularized these seeds as miracle rice. It was said that within exactly a year of the release of IR8 seeds, adequate seed supplies were available to meet local demand. This was also the start of a new era, dubbed as the Green Revolution, in the deliberate and intensied connection between rice science and the rice farmer. These seeds and their many successors, which are the products of rice science, have reached farmers even in remote areas. Some insightful lessons, experiences, observations, and research ndings from relevant R&D activities are cited here to illustrate what the new thinking contributes to the knowledge-intensive character
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of emerging rice cultural management practices.

Integrated pest management (IPM)

The concept of IPM is intellectually seductive. It is not a package of technology for pest control. It involves new ways of thinking, seeing, and doing things not only on the part of farmers but of extension workers, researchers, policymakers, and the pesticide industry. IRRIs perspective on IPM includes the basic premise that no single pest control method can be successful over a long period of time. IPM combines resistant cultivars, agronomic practices known to reduce losses due to pests, and conservation practices that preserve and increase natural enemies.

Integrated nutrient management (INM)

The simple rule, Feed the rice plant as needed is a very appropriate description of INM. It applies to nutrients, water, and pesticides, and implies timing, amounts, and what inputs to feed. This is quite a contrast to the blanket prescriptions for fertilizer applications of yesteryear. The current concept is sitespecic nutrient management (SSNM), which is an information- and technology-based agricultural management system to identify, analyze, and manage site soil, spatial, and temporal variability within elds for optimum protability, sustainability, and protec-

tion of the environment. In this approach, farmers knowledge and experience become vital for the efcient management of nutrients in these environments. It is a knowledgeintensive process for both scientists and farmers. The leaf color chart and the minus-one element technique are examples of simple tools that deliver simple messages to farmers to assist them in making decisions about when, how much, and what nutrients to apply.

Controlled irrigation and water-saving

Researcher Bong Villareal shows how to catch insects during the IRRI Rice Production Course in 2006. She emphasized IPM principles of distinguishing pests from predators and using chemicals for pest control as the last resort.
Ripple July-September 2007

Rice is a thirsty crop and the production of 1 kilogram of rice requires an average of 3,000 liters of water. Increasing scarcity of water has brought water-saving technology in the form of controlled irrigation to a test for farmers adaptation and adoption using a farmer participatory approach. Controlled irrigation, also known as alternate wetting and drying, entails an irrigation schedule in which, contrary to the normal practice of continuous ooding, water is applied to the eld a number of days after the disappearance of ponded water. Just like pesticides and fertilizers, water must now be used judiciously,
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but the use of irrigation water is much more difcult to control because it is a common property resource that is often collectively managed. After a 3-year implementation of controlled irrigation in a study in Tarlac, Philippines, farmers found no yield difference between their practice and that of controlled irrigation using less water. Water savings were about 2030% compared with their traditional practice. Controlled irrigation saved time, labor, and expenses because farmers did not spend as much time in irrigation.

A quest to increase Indonesias national rice supply

5200-ton capacity for the commercial sector. The seeds kept in hermetic storage for the next seasons crop keep their germination rate above 90% even after extended storage, and thus ensure even and vigorous crop establishment. This leads to reduced seed rates and higher yields compared to normal seeds. Paddy that is kept in hermetic storage before milling typically results in milled rice having 10% higher whole grain than paddy from open storage. The Work Group, in collaboration with BPTP South Sumatra and the South Sumatra Forest Fire Management Project, also supports the introduction and adaptation of at-bed dryers for mechanical drying of paddy. The dryers can be used by rice millers, traders, drying service providers, and farmers groups. These dryers improve the quality of paddy compared to the traditional sun-drying method, and thus increase the milling recoveries and head rice recoveries of rice mills.
Text and photos by Martin Gummert (m.gummert@cgiar.org)

Seeing is believing is not enough

Hermetic storage system with 5-ton capacity for seeds used by a farmers group in Compreng, Subang, West Java.

Based on what we have learned from IPM, INM, and collective action experiences, seeing is believing will no longer sufce. Some, if not most, of what is involved in integrated crop management, in growing a healthy crop with minimal health and environmental costs, is not going to be directly visible to the naked eye and will not always be immediately experienced. Seeing and thinking not only in the abstract but also in the future must be learned. The pedagogy of this learning process, particularly the social learning part, has scarcely begun to unravel. We know, however, that we need to make signicant additions to the old adage To see is to believe such as To do is to believe; to use is to believe; to know is to believe; to understand is to believe; but to adapt is to succeed for adaptation localizes the application of ecological principles and the practice of technology.
Gelia Castillo, photos by Trina Mendoza

n estimated 1015% of the rice produced by Indonesian farmers does not reach the market because postharvest losses are high. These losses consist of shattered grains during harvesting and transport, grains eaten by animals and spilled in sundrying, and losses in rice mills due to poor equipment, poor maintenance, and lowquality raw material (paddy). In addition, the remaining rice that reaches the market is often of poor quality with low head rice, many broken grains, wrong moisture content, and discolored grains from delays in postharvest operations and improper drying. The poor quality grain is often downgraded to Grade 3, which sells at highly discounted prices, typically around 20% less than Grade 1. Improved postharvest management and technologies can therefore help increase the milled rice available in the country and can signicantly lead to better quality and healthier rice.

The Postproduction Work Group of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium currently contributes to reducing postharvest losses in Indonesia by piloting hermetically sealed storage systems in collaboration with the Assessment Institute of Agricultural Technology (BPTP) in North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, and South Sulawesi. These storage systems include the Super Bag or Kantong Semar with a 50-kilogram capacity for the village level, and larger commercial systems with

Inspecting a dryer installed at the farmer processing center at Upang Village in South Sumatra.
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Ripple July-September 2007

A different take on pest management

Dr. David Johnson explains the effect of water depth on weeds.

2-week training on Ecological management of pests (rodents, insects, and weeds)biological, economic, and social dimensions was held at IRRI on 19-30 March. This was an innovative and broad-reaching workshop because integrated ecological approaches to pest management rarely include a combination of rodent, insect, and weed management, as well as social and cultural dimensions of technology transfer. The aim of the workshop was to foster the importance of population ecology in pest management, with an emphasis on

farmer participatory research as a foundation for technology transfer. During the course, participants were able to acquire knowledge and skills in using scientic approaches and computer technologies to study pest management at an agroecosystem level. The course also included an understanding of the different processes and factors that inuenced farmers decision making in pest management, in which participants developed different ways to effectively transfer knowledge to target end-users. A eld excursion to interview local farmers using their newly ac-

quired skills was a highlight Engr. Eugene Castro, Jr., for many of the participants. completed a monumental task Fourteen participants in facilitating the training from Belgium, Cambodia, across such a wide range of China, India, Myanmar, disciplines. And, despite the Pakistan, the Philippines, competing demands on his United Kingdom, and Viettime, he did this with tremennam attended and successdous enthusiasm and somefully completed the course. how continued to be smiling There were two PhD students: at the end of the two weeks! Vincent Sluydts working in The participants found Tanzania in eastern Africa the training course to be and Alex Stuart working in challenging but in a positive Baler, Aurora Province, in the way. They rated it as a great Philippines. Unfortunately, success. We are condent two of our colleagues from that the participants will Africa had to withdraw a few be excellent emissaries for days before the course began. what we see as an exciting The course was faciliadvance in pest management tated by Dr. Grant Singleton, over the next decadecomwho was also the course coordinator, and Professor Charles Krebs (emeritus professor, University of British Columbia, Canada). There was an impressive lineup of an enthusiastic team of resource people (from IRRI unless otherwise indicated): Dr. Lyn Hinds (CSIRO Entomology, Australia), Dr. David Johnson, Dr. Yolanda Chen, Dr. K.L. Participants explore the secret lives Heong, Professor Zhang of rats. Zhibin (Institute of Zoology, China), Dr. Bhagirath munity-based ecological Chauhan, Dr. Debbie Temple- management. Community in ton, Dr. Noel Magor, Dr. Flor this context has a deliberate Palis, Mr. Arnold Manza, Ms. double meaning; a community Jo Catindig, Mr. Joel Janiya, of smallholder families inMs. Arelene Malabayabas, volved in the management of and Ms. Trina Mendoza. a community of pest species (insects, rodents, and weeds). The main sponsors for the course were the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium, the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, LEARN IT (Linking Extension and Research Needs through Information Technology), and the Rice-Wheat Consortium.
Grant Singleton (g.singleton@cgiar.org), photos from IRRI Training Center

The participants, resource team, IRRI Training Center coordinators, and IRRI Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler (middle, bottom row).
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Proles

Getting her hands dirty

ueva Ecija is often referred to as the rice bowl of the Philippines, since it is the largest province and biggest rice producer in the Central Luzon region. Rightfully so, Nueva Ecija is home to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the countrys lead agency for the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of all rice research and development activities. The famous rice-producing province is also called home by one of PhilRices top technology promotion experts, Engr. Aurora Corales. Engr. Corales, or Au, is a senior science research specialist at the Technology Management and Services Division of PhilRice. She handles the integrated areabased technology promotion project, which aims to make the most of the rice and rice-based technologies developed by PhilRice through innovative strategies and partnerships with local government units, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector. This project is being implemented in close coordination with the branch stations of PhilRice in different provinces. The collaboration between PhilRice and the International Rice Research Institute on the development and promotion of improved technologies on rice production falls under this project. In addition, the technology promotion activities within Central Luzon and Pangasinan Province are also

under her study leadership. With all the responsibilities under her belt, not a week goes by that Engr. Corales doesnt head to one of the branch stations or farmers elds to monitor the projects. Out in the eld, she provides technical assistance to partners, conducts hands-on training on technologies, and holds consultation meetings to identify key production constraints. The PhilRice group is also responsible for conducting farmers eld days and information campaigns, such as the successful Boo Boo Rat campaign (see Rat patrol in Nueva Ecija, Philippines in RIPPLE Vol. 1, No. 3). Her efforts are now paying off. Year 2006 was a good one for her, as she received the 2006 Pagasa Award, a nationwide competition held yearly by the governments civil service commission. Her division also bagged the Outstanding Division award at PhilRices 21st anniversary celebration, and she, as Outstanding R&D staff (level 2). It is difcult doing technology promotion

because we are dealing with different personalities, Engr. Corales says. Some farmers are more receptive than others. But it is very fullling because we see that we are serving and helping them. When I go to the elds, they ask so many questions. This is probably why I got pulled into this kind of work. This agricultural engineer started off as a statistician in 1982 at the Philippine Cotton Corporation in Pangasinan, where she met her husband, Rizal. When I was studying for my masters degree in rural development, I didnt realize that I was already shifting careers. I was then working with community organizers in my ofce at the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, and they were using different terms in the local dialect. It was a shocking experience for me, she reveals. Nowadays, Engr. Corales is most comfortable dealing with farmers, especially

since her father is a farmer as well. Another hobby that she nds comfort and peace from is gardening. My husband and I enjoy working together in our small garden, she shares. When I wake up each morning, I look at my plants and see if they have any beautiful owers. This mother of three girls hopes to continue her studies in community development, so she can better equip herself to help farmers. Our farmers are in a continuous cycle of debt. The sad thing is most of the proceeds of selling palay (rice grains) will be used to pay their loans, she says. Her advice to Filipino farmers is to cooperate with one another to help uplift their sector. Do not rely only on the government for you to progress; continue to strive hard and not give up because of poverty, she says. Many technologies have been discovered to help in rice-growing; let us not waste them.
Trina Mendoza (t.mendoza@cgiar.org)

Au in her element: Getting her hands dirty is an ordinary thing for Engr. Au Corales, as she promotes rice technologies to farmers (top photo), and while relaxing and caring for her plants.
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Ripple July-September 2007

The doctor is out and about

t was a long journey indeed for this medical doctor turned secretary general of the Myanmar Rice and Paddy Traders Association (MRPTA) to realize his true calling. As diverse as these disciplines are, one thing remains constantDr. Myo Aung Kyaws concern for people, especially the poor. He received his medical degree in 1984 and opened his own clinic in 1985 in his hometown in Pathein, Ayeyarwaddy Division (in Myanmar, a division refers to a province or state). Around 250 patients sought his care every day, 30% free of charge (including monks and other religious people, and the poor and old patients), and his clinic turned into a small hospital. I was like a robot and had no time

to take clinical subjects, he was assigned to handle administrative matters such as promotion and transfer of employees, budgets, and training. In 1994, he received his diploma in management and administration at the Yangon Institute of Economics. While working in the government, his fathers health worsened and he had to take over two rice mills of medium-scale capacity in Pathein. He opened a wholesale market center in Yangon in 1995. It was in 1997 when the former chair of the MRPTA approached Dr. Kyaw during a rice-trading affair and invited him to become a member. He accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, Dr. Kyaw is the secretary general of the orga-

to rest, no time to spend with my family, even to take care of my parents when they became ill, narrates Dr. Kyaw. That was the time he began thinking of shifting from private practice to government service, and pursuing his dream of becoming a surgeon. So he worked under the governments Ministry of Health from 1990 to 1997, and, although he planned
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nization, and he nds fulllment in his pursuit to uplift the livelihood of poor farmers. The MRPTAs mission is to create a fair and free rice market trading environment not only locally but also with export markets that is in line with government policy, he explains. We aim to help rice producers increase their trading volume of rice and rice products, and we take part

in implementing government economic policy guidelines by cooperating with government agencies and nongovernment organizations. Part of Dr. Kyaws duties include conducting training and seminars on postharvest technologies for farmers and private entrepreneurs. In early February, the MRPTA sponsored a seminar on rice production technology in Nat Ta Lin, West Bago, with the Thit Cho Government Seed Farm of the Myanma Agricultural Services. In March, Dr. Kyaw went to Mandalay, the upper part of Myanmar, to present a seminar on postharvest and grain-drying technology. He also recently gave a lecture on commercial dryers in May in Ayeyarwaddy, Bago, Mandalay, and Yangon divisions. Although his tasks are demanding, they arent as time-consuming as when he was still working round the clock as a doctor. He now has time for his family and for hobbies such
During his rare free time, Dr. Kyaw indulges in one of his hobbies photography. The photo on the left is the stone mine at Tat Kone, while the Buddha statue (photo, right) is found at Bawdi Thousand, Monywa, Myanmar.

as gardening, traveling, photography, reading, and meditating. A certied homebody, Dr. Kyaw recounts a summer holiday that didnt go quite as planned. My family planned to go to the beach for 4 days, to go swimming and play football. But, after one night, we got bored and decided to go home. We were happier at home, he recalls fondly. His plans for MRPTA, though, are on track and unswayable. He envisions more capacity building among farmers, millers, and traders by providing them with training, and developing postproduction technologies in grain drying, seed storage, milling, and more. This dream entails the full support and cooperation of the organization members. Life does begin after 40, Dr. Kyaw says in hindsight. Before I turned 40, I always considered things from my point of view only, but that changed. We might have difculties and unforeseeable things along our path, but I believe we can overcome them with compassion, goodwill, and efforts and sacrices. He may not be practicing medicine any more, but many more farmers all over Myanmar are beneting from his genuine kindness and sincerity to help those in need.
Trina Mendoza (t.mendoza@cgiar.org)

Ripple July-September 2007

Publications
International journals
Bouman BAM, Feng Liping, Tuong TP, Lu Guoan, Wang Huaqi, Feng Yuehua. 2007. Exploring options to grow rice using less water in northern China using a modelling approach. II. Quantifying yield, water balance components, and water productivity. Agric. Water Manage. 88:23-33. Bouman BAM, Humphreys E, Tuong TP, Barker R. 2007. Rice and water. Adv. Agron. 92:187-237. Choudhury BU, Bouman BAM, Singh AK. 2007. Yield and water productivity of rice-wheat on raised beds at New Delhi, India. Field Crops Res. 100:229-239. Feng Liping, Bouman BAM, Tuong TP, Cabangon RJ, Li Yalong, Lu Guoan, Feng Yuehua. 2007. Exploring options to grow rice using less water in northern China using a modelling approach. I. Field experiments and model evaluation. Agric. Water Manage. 88:1-13. Hu R, Cao J, Huang J, Peng S, Huang J, Zhong X, Zou Y, Yang J, Buresh RJ. 2007. Farmer participatory testing of standard and modied site-specic nitrogen management for irrigated rice in China. Agric. Syst. 94:331-340. Singleton GR, Tann CR, Krebs CJ. 2007. Landscape ecology of house mouse outbreaks in southeastern Australia. J. App. Ecol. 44:644-652.

Conference proceedings
Belmain S, Meyer A, Singleton GR, Aplin K, Mohammed Harun, Nazmul Islam Kadri, Abu Baker, Rokeya Begum Shafali, Abul Kalam Azad, Nazira Quraishi Kamal, Md. Adnan Al Bachchu, Mofazzel Hossain. 2006. Methods for assessing rodent loss, damage and contamination to rice stored at the household level in Bangladesh. Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Rodent Biology and Management, September 2006, Hanoi, Vietnam. p 121-122. Ben DC, Liem PV, et al. 2006. Effect of hermetic storage in the super bag on seed quality and on milled rice quality of different varieties in Bac Lieu, Vietnam. 2nd International Rice Congress 2006. New Delhi, India. p 567. Buresh RJ, Larazo WM, Laureles EV, Samson MI, Pampolino MF. 2006. Sustainable soil management in lowland rice ecosystems. Proceedings of the 9th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Philippine Society of Soil Science and Technology, 1-2 June 2006, Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.

Upcoming events (July-September 2007)

Conferences and workshops
20th Asia-Pacic Weed Science Society Conference, Sri Lanka, 2-6 October 2007 The IRRC Steering Committee meeting will be hosted by the Vietnamese Agricultural Academy of Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam, 8-11 October 2007 International Workshop on Aerobic Rice jointly organized by the IRRC Water-Saving Work Group and the CPWF STAR project, China Agricultural University (CAU), Beijing, China, 22-25 October 2007 ment for rice in central Vietnam, Quang Nam Province, August 2007 Postproduction Work Group Follow-up on IRRC drying and storage activities in Sumsel, and on proposed farm-level storage research, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, July 2007 Seed and grain quality training for extension staff and mini-combine harvester demonstration, Myanmar, September 2007 Labor Productivity Work Group Visit eld sites in India and Bangladesh, July/August 2007 Visit eld sites in Indonesia, August 2007 Training on weed management in Myanmar, September 2007

Country visits
Productivity and Sustainability Work Group Visit eld demonstration and verication trials in Indonesia, July 2007 Workshop with farmer groups on improved nutrient manage-

Team
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION TEAM: IRRC: Trina Leah Mendoza, Grant Singleton, Jennifer Hernandez CPS: Tess Rola, Bill Hardy, George Reyes, Juan Lazaro IV CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Bas Bouman, Ruben Lampayan, M.A . Hamid Miah, T.P. Tuong, Martin Gummert, Gelia Castillo, Florencia Palis, Joel Janiya, David Johnson
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Book chapter
Mueller J, Gummert M. 2007. Agricultural engineering in tropics/subtropics. Yearbook of Agricultural Engineering. H. Harms and F. Meier. Muenster, Landwirtschaftsverlag GmbH, VDMA Landtechnik, VDI-MEG, KTBL. 19:211-215.

Ripple July-September 2007

Target area in northern Vietnam for dissemination of alternate wetting and drying or aerobic rice in the spring season, when irrigation water availability is insucient to grow continuously ooded lowland rice in all elds. (Photo by Bas Bouman)

Credits: The authors kindly provided pictures for their articles. Copyright for pictures belongs to the authors. Please direct further correspondence, comments, and contributions to Dr. Grant Singleton IRRC Coordinator International Rice Research Institute DAPO Box 7777 Metro Manila, Philippines E-mail: g.singleton@cgiar.org www.irri.org/irrc/ This newsletter presents the personal views of individual authors and not necessarily those of IRRI, SDC, or collaborating organizations in the IRRC. Copyright IRRI 2007