THE Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has applied a Facebook technology in agriculture – allowing farmers to “shoot to kill,” which literally means getting rid of weeds through the use of the phone’s camera.
Slated to be released within the year, the e-Damuhan utilizes the typical routine of social media users: shoot, upload, and tag friends, which became popular that even Facebook devised a way to easily tag friends through face recognition.
The app contains a catalogue that aids in identifying the photographed weeds, says Nehemiah L. Caballong, an information systems researcher of PhilRice involved in developing the app.
The e-Damuhan makes use of artificial intelligence to recognize weeds, which is similar to how our brains work.
The e-Damuhan is being “trained” to recognize weeds using certain number of specimens or photos of weeds.
The more specimens gathered, the more it can accurately recognize the different species of weeds in the country.
One of the researchers developing the app said the app makes identifying the non-plants and their management easier and more accessible to farmers.
Typically, farmers rely mostly on sources like books, which are sometimes expensive and limited in contents.
Aside from being a handy material to identify weeds, using the app can also be inexpensive.
The app, which is also helpful to extension workers and students, currently lists the most common weed species found in the Philippines.
On the other hand, the PhilRice, the Regional Crop Protection Center, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, and the Department of Agriculture- Regional Field Office III are intensifying pest field control through the Oplan Iwas Peste: Ang madiskarteng magsasaka, mataas ang ani at kita, which was recently launched in Nueva Ecija.
The campaign aims to educate farmers on preventing pest infestations through simplified steps.
The recommended practices include synchronous planting, use of resistant rice varieties, conserving beneficial insects, judicious use of insecticides, and proper application of fertilizers.
Managing pests and diseases starts with synchronous planting which breaks the pests’ life cycle as it inhibits their continuous food supply.
The practice entails the farming community to plant rice within a month of their planting calendar.
While the farming community practices synchronous planting, the farmers are also advised to use resistant rice varieties.
Farmers are also encouraged to conserve beneficial insects by planting flowering plants and vegetables in their fields and by avoiding the use of insecticides.
Beneficial insects in the rice field include spiders, coccinelid beetles, parasitoid wasps, and mirid bugs.
Spraying commercial pesticides should be considered as the farmers’ last option to ensure abundant population of beneficial organisms while applying fertilizers should be done at the right time and right amount.
It was learned that excessive use of fertilizers will make rice plants greener and more succulent, thus, making them more attractive and vulnerable to pests.
Evelyn Valdez of PhilRice’s Crop Protection Division, advised farmers to regularly monitor their field to detect pest infestation at early stage and to immediately consult agricultural agencies in case of pest outbreaks and infestations in their area. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
