Understanding the

contents of RCM
recommendation
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommendation from RCM

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

• Content of RCM recommendation is science-based and originates from

collaborative research between IRRI and PhilRice

• Content within RCM recommendation is periodically improved as new

information becomes available from research
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommendation from RCM

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

Personalized information and actionable

recommendation on:
• Improved nutrient management:
(N, P, K, Zn) a. Printed
recommendation
• Sources
before the crop
• Rates
• Timing b. Reminders and
advise sent as
• Seed quality and seedling age text message
• Weed management during the crop

• No early spray of insecticide

• Water management such as safe
alternate wetting and drying (AWD)
• Management adjusted for climate http://webapps.irri.org/ph/rcm
Each farm lot gets a unique recommendation
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Reference number is the number of RCM recommendation

generated
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

Date generated is the date when the RCM

recommendation is generated
Information for farmer and farm lot obtained from
interview of farmer:
Farm lot ID number (for registered RCM farmer with RCM
Farmer and Field Registration)
Name of farmer
Farm lot name
Location of the farm lot
Water regime
Crop establishment method
Variety
Sowing date (in the nursery if transplanted; in the farm lot
if direct seeded)

Each recommendation applies to one cropping season.

 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Why should an RCM recommendation be provided to the farm lot of a

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

farmer every cropping season?

• Variety can change

• Farming practices of farmer, such as the following, can change

- establishment method
- date of sowing
- straw management
- input use

• Farming condition, climate, and constraints during the season can vary
and affect
- attainable yield
- required inputs
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide
Target yield is the calculated yield attainable for a farm
lot based on the following information:
-Historical climate at the farm lot location
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

-Month of sowing
-Variety and growth duration
-Expected water availability
-Typical yield obtained by the farmer from the farm lot
in previous seasons
-Quality of previously used and upcoming season rice
seed
Illustration of recommended farming activities based
on the growth duration of the variety. Examples are:
No early spray of insecticide
Fertilizer management
Weed control before fertilizer application
Safe alternate wetting and drying (AWD)
Keeping floodwater at optimal level during early stage
when there is submergence
Good snail control with use of younger seedlings
Use of quality seeds
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended management practices for

direct seeded rice:
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Use 40 to 80 kg of certified or good quality seeds

with good snail control after sowing for 1 hectare
farm lot.”
Optimal seed rate is recommended when:
- Farmer has not yet sown in the farm lot,
- Crop establishment method is direct seeding, and
- Farmer currently uses more than 80 kg seeds per
hectare

Use of too much seed results to less tillers, and high

competition for space, water, light, and nutrients.

Use of good quality seed contributes to grain yield

increase. Quality seed has less weed contaminant and
produces more uniform and vigorous seedlings.

Ensure good snail control to obtain an optimum plant

population.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended management practices for

direct seeded rice:
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Use certified or good quality seeds with good snail

control after sowing for 1 hectare farm lot.”
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended management practices for

transplanted rice:
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Use certified or good quality seeds for 1 hectare

farm lot.”
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended management practices for

transplanted rice:
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Use 21 days old seedlings with good snail control.

Younger seedlings can increase vigor and yield.”

Use of 21 days old seedlings is recommended when:

- Farmer plans to use short duration variety and
- Farmer plans to use 23 days old or older seedlings

The optimal number of days after transplanting for

fertilizer application depends on seedling age:
Optimal dates for fertilizer application are compared for
two ages of seedlings, when the farmer plans to use
seedlings of 23 days old or older.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Do not spray insecticide within 30 days after

transplanting, sowing, or emergence in the field .“
Plants compensate for early damage caused by
defoliators; no spray also conserves beneficial
organisms.
No early spray is recommended when all the following
occur:
- Farmer typically applies insecticide within 30 days
after transplanting, sowing, or emergence;
- Farmer plans to synchronously transplant or sow
within 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after that of the
neighboring fields; and
- Crop in the previous three months was either rice,
corn, legume, or no crop
Note: AEW should know farmers in a cluster of
neighboring farm lots. No early spray should
also be advised to other farmers in the cluster.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Ensure weed is controlled before fertilizer

application.”

Weed control is recommended before

application of fertilizer in either of the following
conditions:
- Rice is rainfed,
- Rice is irrigated with yield of 3.5 t/ha or less
typically obtained by farmer

It is important to control weeds before fertilizer

application to avoid competition of weeds for
fertilizer.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“When there is risk of rice submergence during early

growth stage, keep floodwater below 5 cm depth”

‘Keep floodwater below 5 cm depth is

recommended when:
- Farmer indicated in RCM interview that farm lot in
the past experienced submergence of rice crop
during early growth stage resulting to yield loss

This recommendation is intended to avoid

submergence stress at early stage of rice.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Irrigate your farm lot at flowering when there is no

standing water on farm lot.”

Irrigate farm lot at flowering is recommended when

both of the following occur:
- Rice is rainfed and
- Farmer has access to water pump

Drought at flowering has a high risk of loss in crop

yield.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Practice safe alternate wetting and drying (safe

AWD). Irrigate to 3-5 cm water depth; monitor water
in observation well; allow water to decrease down to
15 cm below the soil surface before the next irrigation.
Ensure good management of weeds when water level
is decreased. Keep the soil flooded during heading and
flowering.”

Safe alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is recommended

when:
-Farm lot is irrigated with pump powered by gasoline,
diesel or electricity
Safe AWD is a water-saving technology to reduce
irrigation water use in rice farm lots without penalty
on yield.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Three key components of Site-Specific Nutrient Management

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

(SSNM) that benefit a farmer:

1. Adjust timing of fertilizer to match critical growth stages of a rice crop

2. Adjust fertilizer rates to match a field-specific attainable (target) yield

3. Adjust K fertilizer for inputs from crop residues (straw) and irrigation water
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

Improved nutrient management is calculated based on
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) principles:

a. Fertilizer rate is determined using
- Target yield
- Major crop before rice
- Crop residue (straw) management
- Water source (irrigated or rainfed)
- Input of organic fertilizer

b. Time of fertilizer application is determined using

- Growth duration of the variety
- Crop establishment method
- Seedling age
c. Source of fertilizer to apply is determined using
- Target yield
- Crop residue (straw) management
 Adjust timing of fertilizer for critical growth stage

Active Panicle initiation

Nursery Early tillering Heading Maturity
Transplanted

-20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

Direct DAT
seeded
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 days

Early Active tillering and panicle initiation (PI)

•Apply only moderate amount of N •Apply N at critical growth stages
•Apply P and K •Typically apply N as urea
•Can use NPK fertilizer source such •At high yields, K can be added at PI
as 14-14-14 •PI application is at 55 to 60 days before
•Increase fertilizer in proportion to harvest
yield
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

RCM recommends 4 applications of N fertilizer for hybrids in

high-yielding situations
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

• RCM recommends 4 N applications when hybrid variety is used and target yield is 7.5 t/ha or higher:
- basal or at early stage,
- active tillering,
- panicle initiation, and
- heading
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

How is the level of soil fertility determined from the RCM

questions to farmers?
Very high soil fertility – farm lot is fallow with no crop in the wet season.
• The farm lot is inundated in the wet season, which prevents planting of rice
during the wet season,
• The flooding in wet season typically results in deposition of sediment rich in
nutrients, and
• Only one rice crop is grown per year

High soil fertility – the farm lot is at a location identified to be high fertility.

Standard fertility – all other farm lots that do not fit into very high and high soil
fertility
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended management practice for

transplanted rice:
UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

“Apply zinc to seedbed. Broadcast 1 kg zinc sulfate per

40 kg of seed within 10 days after sowing.”

Zinc application is recommended when farmer observed

one or more of the following in the farm lot:

- Standing water in the field for 3 weeks or more before

land preparation in the upcoming season

- Profuse growth of water lettuce in the past same season

- An oily film on water or wet soil surface in the past

same season

- Dusty brown spots on upper leaves of rice at 2 to 4

weeks after transplanting in the past same season
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Recommended crop management practices:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

Delay topdress application of fertilizer when there is overflow of water or drought at critical growth stage

• Fertilizer can be applied when the soil is moist or covered with standing water, but not when water is overflowing the boundaries of the
farm lot.
• Do not apply fertilizer when the farm lot is overflowing with water or under drought conditions in order to avoid nutrient loss or fertilizer
wastage.
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Added information in the output page:

UNDERSTANDING THE RCM RECOMMENDATION

The planned application of organic fertilizer as

indicated by the farmer in the interview is
reported on the output page.

The input of organic fertilizer, when greater

than 400 kg/ha, is used to reduce the rate of P
and K fertilizer in the RCM recommendation.

Link to Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank

Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

Disadvantages of using printed questionnaire

• RCM recommendation not going to farmers on time
• Incorrect data input
- incomplete answers (e.g. no growth duration indicated if variety is not in the list, no year for
birth date)
- misspelled names
- incomplete digits for phone number
• Late encoding
• Inability to confirm correctness of the answers
• Some questions can be skipped
 Lesson 3. RCM Interview Questions Guide

What have you learned for this lesson?


LESSON SUMMARY

Tips in conducting interview with RCM

 Explanation of questions asked during interview
 Contents of the RCM recommendation
 Disadvantages of using printed questionnaire
 For updates/events about RCM

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