‘Scuba’ rice: a resilient plunge in farming
By Mary Antoinette M. Magallanes
Asha Ram Pal, an Indian farmer, stared hopelessly at his rice crops soaked wet in floodwaters. He was one of the pioneering testers of a new variety of rice that was said to be the resistant to heavy flooding given the country’s exposure to extreme weather conditions. His fellow farmers even mocked him for even trying the new variety in the first place but Pal was determined to wait for his crops to grow.
Three months later, the day Pal was patiently waiting, arrived. Much to everyone’s surprise, his crops grew and he even got the highest yield in their village!
In the country, the distribution and use of this rice variety to Filipino farmers has already started off. Will this be the answer to one of the country’s greatest problems?
The reality
The Philippines, located in the Pacific Ocean, is practically vulnerable to experiencing natural calamities such as typhoons, floods and drought. With 7,107 islands mostly surrounded by water, tropical rains and typhoons often trigger heavy flooding resulting to communities being swept away and agricultural areas being ravaged.
According to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, from 12007-2010, a total of 67 typhoons have been recorded to have hit the country. Furthermore, they have recorded an annual average of 17 typhoons per year with an average of two typhoons landing in Northern Mindanao yearly.
It may be a trivial number for most people, but those two typhoons can greatly dent a farmer’s income, a farmer’s living, and a farmer’s life.
Let alone, Tropical Storm Sendong.
The calamity not only devastated millions of infrastructure and private properties but also did immense impact in the agricultural sector, even in Region 10 alone. According to their official report, the NDRRMC has estimated the damage of Sendong at 304 million pesos, ravaging mostly crop and livestock resources at 261 million pesos and 17 million pesos, respectively.
Due to phenomena such as this, rice harvests are reduced and farmer incomes are diminished. A number of the country’s farmers have been accustomed to rice farming as the crop is one the most consumed staple food among the Filipinos.
However, rice-producing regions are also among the hardest hit with calamities in the country. With 31% of the labor force in the country working in the agricultural sector, calamities really have a massive impact to farmers.
Natural disasters are inevitable considering the country’s geographical location and climate conditions. However, despite the environmental catastrophes, is there a hope for a more sustainable and food-secured farming sector in the coming years?
The remedy
As an answer to the dilemma in the agricultural sector brought about by natural calamities, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has developed a variety of rice that has the ability to stand up against climate change and withstand complete submergence in floods – the ‘scuba’ rice or locally named as ‘Submarino’.
Normally, when rice plants are flooded, they elongate their shoots and leaves to escape submergence in water. However, high-yielding modern varieties, which most farmers use, cannot elongate enough. The longer the submergence of the rice plants, the longer the period of time the plant drains its energy trying to escape to the point that they are unable to recover anymore and will consequently die.
However, thanks to biotechnology, plant breeders have identified a gene – the SUB1 gene – derived from an Indian rice 2cultivar which exhibits the characteristic of resistance and resilience amidst complete submergence in flood waters.
Through marker-assisted breeding, scientists have isolated the SUB1 gene and infused it in different rice varieties particularly the IR64-Sub1 or Submarino, which the country is already growing.
3This is important for the vast rain-fed lowland areas of Asia where intermittent flooding causes frequent submergence," said David Mackill, head of IRRI’s plant-breeding division. "Estimated crop losses (due to flooding) are around US$1 billion annually,” he added.
Furthermore, the scuba rice does not only act beneficial during the monsoon season, but also exhibits 4resistance to drought. A 5research from the University of California Riverside reported that the SUB1 gene responded to both submergence and drought, thus surviving either kind of extreme weather condition.
The nature of ‘scuba’ rice is no different from other existing rice varieties. The ‘scuba’ rice develops and grows in almost equal quality and quantity with other varieties in absence of flood with the only difference of its submergence-tolerance characteristic. The SUB1 gene only activates when the plant is submerged, making it dormant until the flood recedes.
Based on an experiment conducted by the IRRI, the ‘scuba’ rice was able to survive through two weeks of submergence in floodwaters; twice the flood tolerance of regular high-yielding rice varieties!
Nakanti Subbarao, another farmer from India who uses the ‘scuba’ rice, has recovered 70% of his harvest after 3 weeks of flooding. At an average, improved rice varieties with the SUB1 gene have shown a yield advantage of 1–3 tons, even 10-15 days after flooding.
The catch
In 2009, the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) has approved the dispersal of the ‘Submarino’ rice in the country with IRRI and the Department of Agriculture (DA) spearheading the distribution of the rice variety especially to flood-prone areas in the country.
IRRI has also undertaken the scheme of offering these flood-tolerant rice varieties to farmers affected by Typhoon Yolanda, to help them augment their income and rebuild their lives.
However, despite the big leap that the agricultural sector has taken to address issues concerning floods in farms, there is one thing that sets them back: Money.
Funding has, and is, still a challenging endeavor in the successful completion and extensive use of this rice variety in the country. Despite the success of IRRI, there is still more to explore and research in this field and funds play an important role in making this happen.
The institute is currently working on a new generation of agriculturally favorable rice varieties to help boost the country’s rice production and increase rice productivity.
This is where the people come in.
IRRI seeks for financial donations from different organizations and from the community to help them continue their research. More than just the money, they also encourage the people to share and spread the knowledge on ‘scuba’ rice in the internet or through other means.
If continued, the ‘scuba’ rice will potentially benefit 18 million farmers in Asia.
***
Although regarded as an agricultural country, the nation’s agricultural sector remains underdeveloped due to several setbacks such as these natural catastrophes that hinder its self-sufficiency and sustainability.
However, the experience of Asha Ram Pal on the use of scuba rice validates that there is still hope for a better agricultural production in the nation. The said scientific breakthrough in agriculture has also already helped some farmers in the country.
Thus, if we will be able to sustain and develop the use of these innovations and advantages, this flood-resistant rice could be the way forward to a more sustainable and food-secured Philippines.
“The Productivity of Scuba Rice in the Philippines” (https://www.academia.edu/8137786/The_Productivity_of_Scuba_Rice_in_the_Philippines)
“Typhoons, floods, and droughts: regional occurrence and value of damages to rice farming in the Philippines” by Danilo C. Israel (Philippine Institute for Development Studies)
Final Report on the Effects and Emergency Management re Tropical Storm “SENDONG” (Washi) (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council)
“Flood-tolerant rice saves farmers livelihoods” (http://irri.org/our-impact/increase-food-security/flood-tolerant-rice-ssaves-farmers-livelihoods)
“Flood-tolerant rice being developed” (http://www.mb.com.ph/flood-tolerant-rice-being-developed/)
“IRRI offers rice seed aid for Leyte farmers” (http://irri-news.blogspot.com/2013/11/irri-offers-rice-seed-aid-for-leyte.html)
