Erica Jean Q.

De Jesus U-1L

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Seed Storage

The students of Agri 31 U-1L visited the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)
where rice grains are processed and stored. The main area that the students toured
around was the seed storage facility. Rice is harvested first then processed for
utilization to accommodate hybrid rice commercialization program. The students went to
the working area where panicle thresher and panicle blower are present to process bulk
amount of rice from entry point.

Afterwards, fumigation takes place using phosphine gas to kill insects for longer shelf
life. The panicles stored in a container soaked in alcohol are sterile. Manual sorting is
done to separate filled and unfilled grains, discoloration, and deformed, weed seeds and
other impurities. Seeds are dried to 6% moisture content using slow drying method. The
seeds are for experimentation only and not for production to prevent genetic impurities.
Seeds are also classified in which S-lines are female and sterile and cannot grow
anywhere while D-lines are male and can grow. Parental seeds are produce in PhilRice
to be used for certain utilization. To break the dormancy, the seeds are placed in the
oven for 3-5 days.

Next, the students visited the cold room with room temperature of 20-22 degrees
Celsius that stores sacks of rice with different assigned colors to determine its
classification. The breeder seeds will be sent to seed growers. The sacks contained
parents of the hybrids to cater the hybrid commercialization program. Green and white
sacks contained breeder seeds (S-line) while blue sacks contained male seeds and
male and b/r line are placed in yellow sacks. Another room is located outside the cold
room to ensure that seeds are not quickly exposed to the outside atmosphere.

Seeds are dried using silica gel with 6-8% moisture content for longevity and higher
quality. The blue silica gel is the indicator of the absorption of water. When it turns pink
it could no longer absorb water. The seeds are placed in hermetically sealed aluminum
foil where they are arranged. Vial bottle is also one container of seeds with names,
code, and accession number and etc. In conclusion, PhilRice activities include seed
germination testing, management of germplasm, and conservation. Their main purpose
is to promote diversity and achieve higher rice quality.
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