Nuclear applications can benefit agriculture by reducing water and nutrient losses by almost 25 percent without adversely affecting the overall yield of rice and corn, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) said.

The use of nuclear analytical techniques, which is a major component of Smart Farming-based Nutrient and Water Management (NWM) program for rice and corn production, can help local farmers increase farm productivity by enhancing the efficient and sustainable use of water and fertilizers, according to Dr. Alumanda Dela Rosa, director of PNRI during the agency’s 40th Atomic Energy Week Celebration.

PNRI collaborates with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the program leader, and with other agencies such as the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), and the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) in the conduct and implementation of Smart Farming-based NWM program which is now on-going up to 2015.

Smart farming, PhilRice said, adopts technologies that are knowledge-intensive and labor-reducing. It aims to address problems such as inefficient fertilizer use, high cost of fertilizers, water scarcity, deteriorating irrigation and drainage structures, poor irrigation scheduling, inefficient farmers’ practices, and the lack of precise measurement techniques for nutrient and water management.

The program uses isotopes as analytical tools to directly measure crops’ nutrient uptake from the applied nutrient source. It will also serve as a tracer to measure rates of uptake, storage, and cycling of water and nutrient. An isotope is one of two or more atoms that have the same atomic number but have different atomic weight. There are many uses for them, and one of which is in agriculture.

PNRI has been previously studying the use of isotopes in the nutritional management of rice and agroforestry species. PNRI said that the use of isotope tracer technique is the most reliable and direct method of measuring the nutrient compounds uptake of the plants from the soil, atmosphere and from fertilizers.

For the program, the isotopes used are nitrogen-15 (N-15), oxygen-18 (O-18) and carbon-13 (C-13), says Rolland V. Rallos, PNRI’s Soil Science Research Specialist II and the project leader for corn production under the Smart Farming-based NWM.

N-15 is used to directly measure the crop’s nutrient uptake, the time nutrients are applied, and the rates of nutrient loss and storage; O-18 is used to determine water movement from the application of irrigation; and C-13 is used to evaluate crop’s water use efficiency. Such are necessary to accurately monitor soil moisture for optimum irrigation scheduling and fertilizer application to minimize losses.

Rallos said that the use of isotopes is considered as safe and environment-friendly. He explained that N-15, C-13 and O-18 are stable isotopes, which do not have half-life, thus they do not emit radiation.

In terms of economic benefits, Dela Rosa cited that farmers will still get the same yield levels but with reduced fertilizer use and water consumption. It will also result in improved soil calibration, modified fertilizer recommendation, and improved irrigation and water management systems such as the alternate wetting and drying. — Melpha M. Abello