Usefulness and Adoption of Palay Check (Rice Check) Technology

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the usefulness and adoption of Palay Check ( Rice check) technology. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods, specifically correlational and case study research designs. Respondents of the study were the 78 small-holder farmers in San Mateo, Isabela. The study employed a purposive sampling method wherein the whole population of interest was taken as respondents of the study. were used to gather data in this study. Respondents' attitude towards the usefulness of the PalayCheck™ technology and the majority of the component technologies was rated as very useful. Compared to the respondents’ perceived usefulness of the eight key checks of the PalayCheck™ system, their perceived ease of use of the key checks received relatively lower mean scores. Out of eight (8) key checks, only two were perceived as “very easy to use”—these are nutrient management and harvest management. The component technologies under seed and variety were rated as “very easy to use” despite the lower mean rate for key check 1 Used high-quality seeds of a recommended Variety. For crop establishment, only five (5) out of 13 component technologies were perceived as “very easy to follow. Out of five (5) component technologies for Nutrient Management, only the first nutrient application was perceived as “very easy to use. For water management, alternate wetting and drying were perceived as "easy to use". All component technologies under pest management, recommended practices on threshing and harvesting, were perceived as “very easy to use” by the respondents. The majority of the respondents claimed they adopted all key Key Checks such as the use of quality seed of a recommended variety, no high and low soil spots after a final leveling. the practice of synchronous planting which enables efficient use of irrigation and minimizes spread of pest and diseases in a farm area, "ensuring that there are enough healthy seedlings", "ensuring enough nutrients from tillering to early panicle initiation and flowering. ensuring enough water supply was based on how far the farm area is from the source of irrigation. No significant yield loss due to pests and cut and threshed the crop at the right time.