How Old Should You Transplant Rice Seedlings For Higher Yield – An Un/Fortunate Exchange Between Daisy Langenegger And Frank A Hilario

Thursday, 14 July 2022, I saw the Facebook sharing of Daisy Langenegger, and I could not help but write this comment: “the seedlings are already too old! the usual farmer practice, hindi na natuto! 😎” [“They have not learned!”]

Ms Daisy felt it was my personal insult to her and she replied with a tirade of 341 words. (Read a shortened reproduction of it at the end of this essay – no hard feelings!) This educator’s reply was 8 words: “whatever. the seedlings are still too old, period. ”

Ms Daisy’s first words were: “Frank A Hilario Sir, are you mentioning me?” No, I did not “see” her in the picture. Now I see, “hindi na natuto” reads as an insult, sorry. What was I thinking? Not a proper way to treat a lady!

Yes, these are a month old seedlings of our own farm… organically farmed rice seeds and we are doing this intentionally to make them more resistant to snail damage.

Ms Daisy, you’re not alone. One month-old rice seedlings are the practice all over the Philippines; I saw that already almost 60 years ago in the ricefields of my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan. Transplanting rice seedlings that old has nothing to do with organic farming – my father grew his rice chemically, and I was the one who sprayed those pesticides – and I enjoyed spraying those leaves with “2-4D” until they were dripping wet! Innocents beguiled.

Not to say that we have more than 22 years of actual rice farming practice devoted to research on what works best in our particular [ecosystem] with maximum result that’s in line with our sustainability and health goals.

But Ms Daisy, why do farmers who practice System of Rice Intensification (SRI) transplant at 2 weeks old, singly and in equidistance? Month-old seedlings transplanted are too old to grow their maximum number of tillers – while young SRI transplants produce more tillers that produce more panicles that produce more grains.

Was mine “Facebook Fervor”? I’m terribly sorry for thinking only of science and not somebody else’s feelings…….

 

Selections from Daisy Langenegger’s tirade:

Frank A Hilario Sir, are you mentioning me? Yes, these are a month old seedlings of our own farm developed organically farmed rice seeds and we are doing this intentionally to make them more resistant to snail damage.

… We have more than 22 years of actual rice farming practice… As you are very busy downloading farming systems in the [Internet] and styling yourself as ultimate expert in organic agriculture… , we ecological farmers are actually putting into practice what we are learning and… learned… from our 2 generations of…ancestors… and… from … our best teacher – Mother Nature.

I believe you should start farming yourself… Time to try out your own farming theories Mr UPLB BS Agriculture degree holder/ power lobbyist/ influencer so at least you get your license to lecture us. You’re getting too indulgent in your posturings as agricultural expert. Bah, humbug!  

Thanks for your left-handed compliments of me!@517