How can we increase the potential adoption rates for new rice varieties? insights from four decades of survey data in Central Luzon [Philippines]
2013
Paguirigan, N. | Laborte, A. | Nelson, A. | Moya, P.
Since the Green Revolution, more than 200 rice varieties have been released in the Philippines. Not all improved varieties, however, have been widely adopted in farmers' fields. Using farm surveys conducted in selected provinces in Central Luzon from 1966 to 2008, the authors track the changes in farmers' preferences for rice varieties as they replaced traditional with modern rice varieties and later with newer varieties. They evaluated the varieties planted by farmers during the last four decades in terms of grain quality (milling potential, physical and chemical properties), agronomic characteristics (yield, maturity, plant height) and reaction to pests and diseases. Based on the surveys, average yields of farmers increased from 2.26 t/ha in 1966-67 when all farmers still planted traditional varieties to 3.79 t/ha in the 1986-87 and 4.81 t/ha in 2007-08 with full adoption of modern varieties. Maturity period, plant height and head rice recovery of varieties planted by farmers decreased from the 1960s to the present. Rice varieties planted by farmers in the 1980s had lower proportion of chalky grains compared with those preferred in earlier years but this reversed after the 1980s. All officially released varieties (from 1 RS up to NSIC 2011) were also characterized. This study together with an analysis of consumer preference can help identify traits needed in new rice varieties and hence contribute to efforts at developing rice varieties that have high potential for adoption by farmers in Central Luzon.
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