Engineering the Application of Grain Protectants on F1 Hybrid Rice Seeds: The Philippine-HRCP Experience

In 2002, when the commercialization of the hybrid rice technology in the Philippines started and was carried out nationwide through the Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program (HRCP), quality deterioration of stored and distributed F1 hybrid rice seeds due to storage pest infestation was a widely experienced problem. In order to prevent further seed quality losses, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), at that time being the agency in-charge of the procurement, storage and distribution of the hybrid rice seeds nationwide, decided to treat the seeds with grain protectants (insecticides) prior to storage starting with the 2003 dry season harvest. Although there were available information on the right kind and amount of insecticide that could effectively control such kind of pest infestation, the urgent problem encountered at hand was how to accurately and uniformly apply the insecticide solution to the seeds at a recommended low volume application of 1-2 liters per ton of seeds. Low volume application was necessary since a significant increase in the seed moisture content could be another threat in maintaining the quality of the seeds. At that time, there was no locally available technology developed and marketed for the purpose. The need was urgent and there was not much time available to come up with a seed treatment technology that could be used by the HRCP. This paper presents the experiences and the process of developing a low cost seed treating machine as a prompt answer to a serious need of the Program.