AGRICROP PRODUCTION 10

1. i
10
Technology & Livelihood Education
Agricultural Crop Production
Learner’s Material
GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
NOT FOR SALE
ALLOTTED TO
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First Year of Use: __________________ ________ ________ ___ ____
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2. Technology & Livelihood Education – Grade 10
Agricultural Crop Production
Learner’s Material
First Edition, 2014
ISBN: ___________
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Published by the Department of Education
Secretary: Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC Undersecretary:
Yolanda S. Quijano, PhD
Assistant Secretary: Elena R. Ruiz, PhD
Development Team of the Teaching Guide
Consultant: PEDRITO S. NITURAL , PhD
Central Luzon State University Science
City of Munos, Nueva Ecija
Subject Specialist & Management:
EMMANUEL S. VALDEZ, ALBERT B. ERNI
Authors: JESUS B. NAZARENO, MDM
Principal III, BersaminAgro-Industrial HighSchool
Divisionof PangasinanII, RegionI
RODOLFO C. SAJORDA, MSAE
Principal, Queenof Heart Academy
Dasmarinas City, Cavite
Validated By: Dr. Dennis M. Lucas, Sr
EPP/TLE Div. Coordinator
DivisionOf PuertoPrincessa City
Andres Z. Taguiam, PhD
Technological University of the Philippines
Dasmarinas City Campus
Editors: Lourdes Lualhati, Rogelio Limsan
Reviewers: Dr. Cristina Celarta, Restituta Paragas Illustrator:
James M. Gaje
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ii

5. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
Quarter I
MODULE 1 - ENTREPRENEURSHIP
WHAT IS THIS MODULE ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
PRE TEST
LESSON I
Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECS)
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
REFERENCES
LESSON II
Market and Environment
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
REFERENCES

6. 2
MODULE II - Agricultural Crop Work (Rice Production)
WHAT IS THIS MODULE ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU
LEARN
PRETEST
Quarter II
LESSON I
Preparation of materials, tools, and equipment for rice
production work
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON II
Site Selection and Soil analysis
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON III
Land preparation (Irrigated/rainfed)
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN

7. 3
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON IV
Seed Selection
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER. POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
QUARTER III
LESSON V
Seedling production
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER. POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON VI
Planting/Transplanting
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS

8. 4
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON VII
Nutrient Management
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
PRE TEST
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW
WHAT TO PROCESS
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT
TO TRANSFER.
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON VIII
Water Management
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
PRE TEST WHAT WILL
YOU KNOW WHAT TO
PROCESS.
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
QUARTER IV
LESSON IX
Pest Management
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN

9. 5
PRE TEST WHAT WILL
YOU KNOW WHAT TO
PROCESS.
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON X
Harvesting , Threshing , Drying, Storing and Milling
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
PRE TEST
WHAT WILL YOU KNOW WHAT
TO PROCESS.
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
LESSON XI
Marketing, and Keeping Farm Records and Accounts
WHAT IS THIS LESSON ALL ABOUT
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN
PRE TEST WHAT WILL
YOU KNOW WHAT TO
PROCESS.
WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT TO TRANSFER
POST TEST
DEFINITION OF TERMS
REFERENCES

10. 6
QUARTER 1 Learning Material No. I
PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES (PEC’S)
ACROSS MARKET AND ENVIRONMENT
Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs)
Content Standards Performance Standards
The learner demonstrates
understanding of one’s PECs in
Agricultural-Crop Production
The learner independently creates a
plan of action that strengthens/ further
develops his/her PECs in
AgriculturalCrop Production.
Time Allotment 4 hours
Quarter I

11. 7
Module 1 Personal Entrepreneurial
Competencies Introduction
In this module you will learn more about entrepreneurship and the
entrepreneurial competencies related to Agricultural-Crop Production. You will
have a first-hand experience in educational activities leading to personal
assessment of your entrepreneurial competencies of a successful crop
producer/agri-entrepreneur within your province. There are some activities
below that will help you align your competencies with the competencies of
successful practitioners. Moreover, this module is designed to stimulate your mind
to think about entrepreneurship, its role in the business community in particular
and to the economic and social development in general.
Now, to start with this module, let us first learn what is the difference between
entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurs are people with skills and capabilities to build, organize and
evaluate business opportunities. They are individuals who can strategically identify
products or services needed by the community and deliver these at the right time
and the right place.
Entrepreneurs are agents of economic change; they organize, manage and
assume risks of a business. Some of the good qualities of an entrepreneur are
opportunity seeker, risk taker, goal setter, excellent planner, confident problem
solver, hardworking, persistent and committed worker.
Entrepreneurship on the other hand is not just a simple business activity. It
is a strategic process of innovation and new venture creation. Basically,
entrepreneurship is both an art and a science of converting business ideas into
marketable products or services to improve the quality of living.
Now that you have a little background knowledge about entrepreneur and
entrepreneurship, can you now walk through in assessing your Personal
Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs)? Always remember that “Successful
entrepreneurs continuously develop and improve their PECs.”
To begin with, let us first try to find out the competencies you will master
after finishing this module.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
- identify areas for improvement, development and growth;
- align your PECs according to your business/career choice; and
- create a plan of action that ensures success in your business/career choice

12. 8
Now that you have an idea about the enabling knowledge and skill that you will
develop/achieve and master, try to take the first challenge in this module the pre-
assessment.
As part of your initial activity, you will be challenged to test your knowledge
on the topic. To diagnose/assess what you already know about personal
entrepreneurial competencies. Answer the tasks below.
Task 1: Matching Type
Direction: Match the entrepreneurial competencies in column A with their
meaning in column B. Write the letter of the correct answers in your test
notebook /test paper.
A B
____1. Creative a. makes a wise decision towards the
attainment of the set objectives
____2. Profit Oriented b. strategic thinking and setting of goals
____3. Discipline c. trusts in one’s ability
____4. Decision Making d. adaptable to change
____5. People Skill e. innovative, have edge over other competitors
____6. Planner f. solid dedication
____7. Self-confidence g. skillful in record keeping
Pre

13. 9
____8. Hardworking h. always sticks to the plan
____9. Ability to accept change i. works diligently
____10. Committed j effective and efficient communication skills
and relationship with people
k. always looks for income
Task 2: Guide Questions
Direction: The following are guide questions which encapsulate the entire module.
Write your answers on your assignment notebook, then share these in class.
A. Explain why entrepreneurial activities are important to social development and
progress of the economy.
B. What entrepreneurial activities do you know and are capable of doing which are
related to agri-business?
C. Given the opportunity to own a business that relates with agricultural crop-
production, are you confident to manage it? Explain your answer.
D. What do you think are the most important competencies you must possess in
order to become successful in your chosen business?
E. Name successful entrepreneurs from your province whose business is related
to agricultural-crop production. Be able to share with the class their PECs
that made them successful.
After all the guide questions have been answered to the best of your
knowledge and skills, share these with your classmates. You, too, may compare
your insights, personal knowledge, and relevant experiences on the topic to make
it more exciting and engaging.
LEARNING GOALS AND TARGET
After reading and understanding the objectives of this module and having
gone through pre-assessment and answering the guide questions, you will be
asked to set your own personal goals. These goals will inspire you to further
achieve the ultimate objective of this module. In the end, these goals would
motivate you to learn more about PECs.
Goals and Learning Ultimate
Targets Activities
Goal

14. 10
Figure 1: Strategic process to achieve the objectives of this module.
READING RESOURCES AND INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
After setting your own personal goals and targets to achieve the objectives
of this module, check first your inherent knowledge of PECs. Try to answer the
following guide questions with the help of your classmates.
Task 3: Group Activity
Direction: Answer the following guide questions on a separate sheet of paper.
Share your answer with the class.
1. Explain the importance of assessing one’s PECsbefore engaging in a particular
entrepreneurial activity.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______.
2. Are there other strategies or approaches where you can assess your PECs?
Explain how these would become more useful in selecting a viable business
venture.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______.
3. What are the desirable personal characteristics, attributes, lifestyles, skills, and
traits of a prospective entrepreneur? Why do you think these are important?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______.
4. Why is there a need to assess one’s PECsin terms of characteristics, attributes,
lifestyles, skills, and traits before starting a particular business?

15. 11
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
5. What is the significance of evaluating PECs of a successful entrepreneur?
What helpful insights can you draw from this activity?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
__________.
How was your experience in answering the guide questions together with your
classmates? Were you able to benefit from them? What insights have you realized?
This time you’re going to study the lessons that will enrich your knowledge
about PECs. Read carefully all the important details about the succeeding topic.
Assessment of Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs) and skills
vis-à-vis a practicing entrepreneur/employee in a province.
Here is an example of how a successful practitioner behaves. You can evaluate
her attitude towards agricultural crop production and the business opportunity that
lies ahead.
REBECCA C. TUBONGBANUA: WOMAN FARMER-SCIENTIST
September 26, 2010 filipino achievers
Woman-Farmer-Scientist
Rebecca Tubongbanua is a successful agri-entrepreneur from San
Isidro,Buenavista, Guimaras. She entered the world of business in 2003, with a
measly capital amounting seven thousand pesos.

16. 12
She toiled for several years experimenting and perfecting her sulfite-free
and low-sugar technology in processing indigenous fruits, primarily the Guimaras
mangoes.
She put up an agri-business firm-the McNester, which caters to consumers
in the national and global market as well. Her processed commodities include
mango jam, mango-calamansi concentrate, dried mango, mango chutney,
calamansi juice, mango with calamansi juice, mango sauce, mango ketchup-
regular, pineapple ketchup-hot and spicy, Indian mango pickles, and pineapple
marmalade.
Tagbanua was elected as President of the Guimaras, Producers and
Processors Association. In 2007, she was chosen as Magsasakang Siyentista
(Farmers Scientist), and elected as Secretary General of the National Scientists
Association. In addition, she was nominated as Gawad Saka Awardee, and
because of her numerous achievements, she was cited by former Agriculture
Secretary Arthur Yap in 2010 as one of the top 200 agri-entrepreneur of the
country.
The entrepreneurial competencies refer to the important characteristics
that should be possessed by an individual in order to perform entrepreneurial
functions effectively. In this module, you will learn some of the most important
characteristics, attributes, lifestyle, skills, and traits of a successful entrepreneur in
order to be successful in a chosen career.
Below are few important characteristics/traits/attributes of a good
entrepreneur:
• Hardworking: One of the important characteristics of a good
entrepreneur is being a hard worker. This means habitually working
diligently for hours. Hardworking people keep on improving their
performance to produce good products and/or provide good services.
• Self-confident: Entrepreneurs have confidence in their own ability and
judgment. They exhibit self-confidence which enables them to cope
with all the risks in operating their own business.
• Discipline: Successful entrepreneurs always stick to the plan and fight
the temptation to do what is unimportant.

17. 13
• Committed: A good entrepreneur accepts full responsibility in all
aspects of his/her business. He/she gives full commitment and solid
dedication to make the business succeed.
• Ability to accept change: Nothing is permanent but change. Change
occurs frequently. When one owns a business, he/she should cope
with and thrive on changes. He capitalizes on positive changes to make
his business grow.
• Creative: An entrepreneur should be creative and innovative to stay in
business and in order to have an edge over other competitors.
• Has the Initiative: An entrepreneur takes the initiative. He assumes
responsibility in the failure or success of his business.
• Profit-Oriented: A person enters the world of business to generate
profit or additional income. Therefore, he must see to it that the
business would prosper.
Listed below are the important skills of a successful entrepreneur.
• Planner: Planning is a strategic thinking and setting of goals to achieve
objectives and carefully maximizing all the available resources. A good
entrepreneur develops and applies step-by-step plans to realize goals.
He knows that planning is effective only when combined with diligent
action.
• People Skills: are skills which are very important in order to be
successful in any kind of business. People skills refer to an effective
and efficient communication and relationship with people working in and
out of the business. In day-to-day business transactions, one needs to
deal with people. Well- developed people skills can spell out the
difference between success and failure of the business.
• Decision Making: Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to think
quickly and make a wise decision towards the pre-determined set of
objectives. No one can deny that the ability to make decision is an
important skill that an entrepreneur should possess. Sound decision
should spring out from given facts/information and should be directed
towards the pre-determined objectives.

18. 14
In order to firm up what you have learned and to have a better appreciation
of the different entrepreneurial competencies, try to read the PECs checklist
presented below, then answer the same.
Task 4: PECs Checklist
Directions: Using the PECs Checklist, assess yourself by indicating a check (/)
mark in either strengths and/or development areas column. Interpret the results by
counting the total number of check marks in each of the columns. After
accomplishing the checklist, form a group and share your insights and experiences
why you have come up with that personal assessment.
Table 1: PECs Checklist
Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies
of an Entrepreneur
Personal Assessment in terms of:
Strength Development
Areas
Hardworking
- Works diligently
Self-confident
- Confidence in one’s ability
Discipline
- Sticks to the plan
Committed
- Solid dedication
Ability to accept change
- Adaptable to
change
Creative
- Innovative to have an edge over
other competitors
Process

19. 15
Profit-oriented
- Always looks for income
Planner
- Strategically thinks and sets goals
People Skills
- Has effective and efficient
communication skills and
relationship with people
Decision Making
- Makes a wise decision towards the set
objectives
TOTAL
Interpretation/Insights:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________.
How was your experience in discovering your strengths and the areas to be
developed? Did you gain valuable experience in exchanging insights with your
classmates? To learn more and deepen your understanding of PECs, do Task 5
below.
Task 5:
Interview

20. 16
Interview successful agri-business owners or entrepreneurs in your
province whose type of business is related with agricultural-crop production.
Focus your interview on PECsand other business-related attributes that help them
become successful. Analyze the result of the interview and reflect on the
similarities and/or differences. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Sample Interview Guide
Name of Proprietor/Practitioner: _____________________________________
Age: _______________________ Number of Years in Business: ___________
Business Name: _________________________________________________
Business Address: _______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
1. What are your preparations before you engaged in this type of
business/job?
2. What are your special skills/characteristics that are related to your
business/job?
3. How did you solve business-related problems during the early years of
your business operation?
4. Did you follow the tips from a successful businessman/practitioner before
you engaged in your business?
5. What are your best business practices that you can share with aspiring
students?
6. What are your salient characteristics, attributes, lifestyle, skills, and traits
that made you successful in your business/job?
Note: Ask the needed information from the interview to supply answer/s to
Row 1 in the table below. Meanwhile, fill out the second row with your
PECs.
Personal
Entrepreneurial
Competencies Characteristics Attributes Lifestyles Skills Traits

21. 17
Successful
Entrepreneur in the
province
My PECs
Using the information from the table above, analyze, and reflect on the
similarities and differences in your answers. Put your reflection on the table
below. Write your conclusion on the space provided on the next page.
Personal
Entrepreneurial
Competencies
Similarities Differences
Characteristics
Attributes
Lifestyles
Skills
Traits
Conclusion:
___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________________________ .

22. 18
After performing the activities on the importance of PECs, let us determine
how much you have learned. Perform Task 6 to determine how well you have
understood the lesson.
Task 6: Preparation of a Plan of Action
Directions: Using the table below and the information generated from Task 5
(Interview), prepare an action plan that indicates how you would align
your PECsto the PECsof the successful agri-business owners in your
province.
Objective Area Activities Strategies Time
Frame
Expected
Outcome
To align my PECs with
the
PECs of a
successful entrepreneur
in
agribuisness/agricrop..
Characteristics
Skills

23. 19
Attributes
Traits
Task 7: Essential Questions
Direction: Read and study the following questions below. You may use a separate
sheet of paper or your notebook to write your answers.
1. Why is there a need to compare and align your PECs with the PECs of a
successful entrepreneur?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________.
2. How does your action plan help sustain your strong PECs and/or address your
development areas?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
____________________________.

24. 20
3. What plan of action would you do to address your development areas?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
_______________.
ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET (EM)
Content Standards Performance Standards
The learner demonstrates
understanding of environment and
market in agricultural-crop
production in one’s province.
The learner independently creates a
business vicinity map reflective of
potential market in agri-business in a
province.
Time Allotment: 4 hours
Quarter I
Module 2 Environment and Market Introduction
People who aspire to start a business need to explore the economic, cultural
and social conditions prevailing in the area. Needs and wants of the people around
the vicinity that are not met may be considered as business opportunities.
Identifying the needs of the community, its resources, available raw materials,
skills, and appropriate technology can help a new entrepreneur in seizing a
business opportunity.
To be successful in any kind of business venture, potential entrepreneurs
should always look closely at the environment and market. They should always be
watchful of the existing opportunities and constraints. The opportunities in the
business environment are those factors that provide possibilities for a business to
expand and make more profits. Constraints, on the other hand, are those factors
that limit the ability to grow, hence reducing the chance of generating profit. One of
the best ways to evaluate the opportunities and constraints is to conduct SWOT
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis.
SWOT analysis is a managerial tool to assess the environment. It gathers
important information, which in turn is used in crafting a strategic plan. Strengths
and weaknesses are internal in an organization. Basically they relate to resources

25. 21
owned by the organization, things that one has control over, as- well as the extent
of its marketing capability.
Opportunities and Threats exist in the external environment. Opportunities
relate to the market, development of new technologies, and external factors such
as government policies, climate, and trends. Threats relate to what the competition
is doing as well as legal and other constraints.
Now that you have read some of the important things to consider to succeed
in any business, you are now ready to explore more about the environment and
market.
To begin with, let’s first try to find out the competencies that you will master
after finishing this module.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
- identify what is of “Value” to the customer;
- identify the customer to sell to;
- explain what makes a product unique and competitive;
- apply creativity and innovative techniques to develop marketable product;
and
- employ a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to the product/service.
Now that you have an idea about the things you will learn, try to take the first
challenge in this module-- the pre-assessment.

26. 22
Task I: Multiple Choice
Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. This is generated by examining what goods and services are sold outside the
community.
A. Business Creation C. Business Concept
B. Business Pricing D. Business Idea
2. A process of making a new product to be sold to the customers.
A. Product Analysis C. Product
Development
B. Product Conceptualization D. Product
Implementation
3. These are luxuries, advantages, and desires that every individual considers
beyond necessary.
A. Wants C. Requirements
B. Desires D. Needs
4. This is the factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one
product or service is better and different from that of the competitors.
A. Unique Selling Plan C. Unique Pricing
Policy
B. Unique Selling Proposition D. Finding Value-
Added
5. In this stage, the needs of the target market are identified, reviewed, and
evaluated.
A. Concept Development C. Project
Development
Pre

27. 23
B. Economic Analysis D. Refine Specification 6. This is the
introduction of a new idea to make the product and services more attractive
and saleable to prospective customers.
A. New Idea C. Product Development
B. Creativity D. Innovation
7. A managerial tool used to assess the environment in gathering important
information used for strategic planning.
A. Environmental Scanning C. WOTS Analysis
B. SWOT Analysis D. Survey Analysis
8. A marketing practice of creating name, symbol or design that identifies and
differentiate a product from others.
A. Product Naming C. Branding
B. Unique Selling Proposition D. Tagline
9. This is a meaningful and unforgettable statement that captures the essence
of your brand.
A. Product Naming C. Branding
B. Unique Selling Proposition D. Tagline
10. These are the things that people cannot live without.
A. Wants C. Requirements
B. Desires D. Needs
Task 2: Guide Questions:
Directions: Read and study the guide questions below. You may use a
separate sheet of paper to write your responses to the guide
questions.
1. How does one determine the product or service to be offered/delivered to
the target customers?
2. How does one select an entrepreneurial activity?
3. When can one say that a certain product has a “value”?
4. Are innovation and creativity to your product/service important? Explain.
5. How can one effectively respond to the needs of the target customer?

28. 24
6. What is the importance of scanning the environment and market in
generating business idea?
7. What is your level of confidence in formulating a business idea after your
self assessment? Explain.
After all the guide questions have been answered and skills have been
mastered, share them with your classmates. Discuss your insights, personal
knowledge of, and relevant experiences on the topic to make it more exciting and
engaging.
LEARNING GOALS AND TARGET
After reading and understanding the objectives of this module and having
gone through pre-assessment and answering the guide questions, you will be
asked to set your own personal goals. These goals will inspire you to further
achieve the ultimate objective of this module. In the end, these goals would
motivate you to learn more about Environment and Market.
Goals and Learning Ultimate
Targets Activities
Goal
Figure 2: Strategic process to reach the objectives of this module
READING RESOURCES AN D INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
After setting your own personal goals and targets to achieve the objectives
of this module, you will have the opportunity to read and learn more about
environment and market. You, too, will also be given a chance to do practical
exercises and activities to deepen your understanding of the topic.

29. 25
Product Development
When we talk of product development, we are referring to a process of
making a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers.
Product development may involve modification of an existing product or its
presentation, or formulation of an entirely new product that satisfies a newly
defined customer’s needs and/or want and/or a market place.
The term development in this module refers collectively to the entire process
of identifying a market opportunity, creating a product to appeal to the identified
market, and finally, testing, modifying and refining the product until this will be
ready for production. This product can be any item to be sold to the consumers.
There are basic, yet vital questions that you can ask yourself. When you
shall find acceptable answers to these, you can say that you are ready to develop
a product and/or render service.
1. For whom are the product/service aimed?
2. What benefit will the customers expect from it?
3. How will the product differ from the existing brand? Or from their
competitor?
Likewise, needs and wants of the people within the area should also be taken
into consideration. Everyone has his or her own needs and wants.
However, people have different concepts of needs and wants. Needs in business
are important things that every individual do without in a society. These include:
1. Basic commodities for consumption
2. Clothing and other personal belongings
3. Shelter, sanitation and health
4. Education
Basic needs are essential to every individual so he/she may be able to live
with dignity and pride in the community of people. These needs can obviously help
you generate business ideas and subsequently to develop a marketable product.

30. 26
Wants are desires, luxury, and extravagance that signify wealth and an
expensive way of living. Wants or desires are considered above all the basic
necessities of life. Some examples are the eagerness or the passion of every
individual which are non- basic needs like fashion accessories, shoes, clothes,
travelling around the world, eating in an exclusive restaurant, watching movies,
concerts, plays, having luxurious cars, wearing expensive jewelry, perfume, living
in impressive homes, and others.
Needs and wants of people are the basic indicators of the kind of business
that you may engage into because they can serve as the measure of your success.
Some other good points that you might consider in business undertakings are the
people, their needs, wants, lifestyle, culture, and tradition, and social orientation.
To summarize, product development entirely depends on the needs and wants of
the customers. Another important issue to deal with are the key concept of
developing a product. The succeeding topic shall enlighten you about the
procedure in coming up with a product concept.
Concepts of Developing a Product
Concept development is a very critical phase in developing of a product.
From this stage, the needs of the target market are identified and competitive
products are reviewed before the product specifications are defined. The product
concept is selected along with an economic analysis to come up with an outline of
how a product is being developed. Below is a figure that shows the stages of
concept development of a product.
Figure 3: Concept Development
The process of product development follows these steps:
A. Identify Customer Needs - Using survey forms, interviews, researches,
focused group discussions, and observations an entrepreneur can easily
identify customers’ needs and wants. In this stage, the information that can
possibly be gathered here are product specifications (performance, taste, size,
color, shape, life span of the product, etc.). This stage is very important
because this would determine the product to be produced or provided.

31. 27
B. Establish Target Specifications - Based on customers' needs and reviews
of competitive products, you may now establish target specifications of the
prospective new product and/or service. Target specifications are essentially
a wish-list.
C. Analyze Competitive Products - It is imperative to analyze existing
competitive products to provide important information on establishing
product/service specifications. Other products may exhibit successful design
attributes that should be emulated or improved upon in the new
product/service.
D. Generate Product Concepts - After having gone through with the previous
processes, you may now develop a number of product concepts to illustrate
what types of product/service are both technically feasible and would best
meet the requirements of the target consumers/market.
E. Select a Product Concept - Through the process of evaluation between
attributes, a final concept is selected. After the final selection, additional
market research can be applied to obtain feedbacks from certain key
customers.
F. Refine Product Specifications - In this stage, product/service specifications
are refined on the basis of input from the foregoing activities. Final
specifications are the results of extensive study. Expected service life and
projected selling price are being considered in this stage.
G. Perform Economic Analysis - Throughout the process of product
development, it is very important to always review and estimate the economic
implications regarding development expenses, manufacturing costs, and
selling price of the product/service to be offered/provided.
H. Plan the Remaining Development Project - In this final stage of concept
development, you may prepare a detailed development plan which includes
a list of activities, the necessary resources and expenses, and a development
schedule with milestones for tracking progress.
Finding Value

32. 28
People buy for a reason, there should be something in your
product/service that would give consumers a good reason to go back and buy for
more. There must be something that has to make you the best option for your target
customers; otherwise they have no reason to buy what you are selling. This implies
further, that you offer something to your customers which they will value or
treasure.
The value that you incorporate to your product is called value proposition.
Value proposition is “a believable collection of the most persuasive reasons people
should notice you and take the action you are asking for.” Value is created by
fulfilling deep desires and solving deep problems. This is what gets the people
moving, and keep them spending for your product/service.
Innovation
Innovation is the introduction of something new in your product/service.
This may be a new idea, a new method or a device. If you want to increase your
sales and profit you must innovate. Some of the possible innovations in your
products are change in packaging, improved taste, color, size, shape, and perhaps
price. Some of the possible innovations in providing services are application of new
improved methods, additional feature of product/ services, and possibly, freebies.
Let us go back to what Mrs.Tubongbanua did with the Guimaras mangoes
aside from its known qualities. She made mango jam, mango calamansi
concentrate, mango sauce, mango ketchup-regular to make a difference from
other existing products in the market.

33. 29
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Unique Selling Proposition is the factor or consideration presented by a seller as
the reason that the product or service being offered is different from and better
than that of other key players or competitors. Before you can begin to sell your
product or service to your target customers, you have to sell yourself into it. This
is especially important when your product or service is similar to those around you.
USP would require careful analysis of other businesses' ads and marketing
messages. If you analyze what they say or what they sell, apart from the qualities
of their product or service, you can learn a great deal about how companies
distinguished themselves from competitors.
Here's how to discover your USP and use it to increase your sales and profit:
• Use empathy: Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Always
focus on the needs of the target customers and forget falling in love with
your own product or service. Always remember, you are making this product
or providing for the target customers to eventually increase sales and earn
high profit. You are not making this product or service for yourself. Essential
questions such as what could make them come back again and again and
ignore your competitors? Most possible answers will be focused on the
quality, availability, convenience, cleanliness, reliability, and friendliness.
Agriculture products are not that hard to sell because they form part of our
basic needs of everyone.
• Identify what motivates your customers. It is very important for you to
understand and find out what drives and motivates your customers to buy
your product/service. Make some efforts to find out, analyze, and utilize the
information that motivates the customers in their decisions to purchase your
product/service.
• Discover the actual and genuine reasons why customers buy your
product instead of that of your competitor's. Information is very
important in decision making. Competitive entrepreneur always endeavor to
improve his/her products/services and constantly provide satisfaction and
sustain patronage of customers. As your business grows, you should
always consider the process of asking your customers some important
information and feedback that you can use to improve your
product/services.

34. 30
In order to firm up your understanding of the topic previously presented, you will
be tasked to form a group and conduct an interview with a successful agri-
entrepreneur/practitioner. You have to document this interview and present this to
the whole class for reflection and appreciation.
Task 3: Interview
Directions: Select a successful entrepreneur/practitioner. Conduct an interview
by utilizing the sets of questions below. Document the interview and
present this to the class.
1. How did you identify your customers?
2. What were your considerations in selecting your customers?
3. Explain how your product/service become unique from other product/s.
4. Did you consult somebody before you engage in this business? Cite sample
insights that you gained from the consultation.
5. What were your preparations before you started the actual business?
6. What creative and innovative techniques did you adapt to your
product/service? What was the effect of the innovative techniques on the
sales and profits of your business?
7. What strategies did you consider to have a unique selling proposition for
your product/service?
Process

35. 31
Task 4: Video Viewing
In order to deepen your understanding of the lesson, perform the following tasks:
1. Browse the internet on topics related to:
a. customers’ needs and wants particularly on agricultural crops;
b. techniques in identifying customers’ needs and wants;
c. creativity/innovations in products and services in the market, agricultural
crops in particular;
d. unique selling proposition; and
e. product development.
2. Prepare a short narrative report about the aforementioned topics. You may
highlight the “aspect” that intensifies your knowledge of product development.
Task 5: Product Conceptualization
Directions: Using the figures below develop your own concept for your
product/services.

36. 32
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_________________

37. 33
Generating Ideas for Business
The process of developing/generating business idea is not a simple
process. Some people come up with a bunch of business ideas, while some are
without ideas. There are two problems that arise; first is the excessive generation
of ideas that makes one remain in the dreaming stage, and second, when one
fails to generate.
The most optimal way is to have a systematic approach in generating and
selecting ideas that will be translated into a viable business. Here are some basic
yet very important considerations that you may use to generate possible ideas for
business:
1. Examine the existing goods and services. Are you satisfied with the
product? What do other people who use the product say about it? How can it
be improved? There are many ways of improving a product from the way it is
crafted up to the time it is packed and sold. You can also improve the materials
used in crafting the product. In addition, you introduce new ways of using the
product, making it more useful and adaptable to the customers’ many needs.
When you are improving the product or enhancing it, you are doing an
innovation. You can also do an inventionby introducing an entirely new product
to replace the old one.
Business ideas may also be generated by examining what goods and
services are sold outside the community. Very often, these products are sold in
a form that can still be enhanced or improved.
2. Examine the present and future needs. Look and listen to what the
customers, institution, and communities are missing in terms of goods and
services. Sometimes, these needs are already obvious and felt at the moment.
Other needs are not that obvious because they can only be felt in the future, in
the event of certain developments in the community. For example, a province
will have its electrification facility in the next six months.
Only by that time will the entrepreneur could think of agricultural products which
are made using electrically-powered tools or equipment.

38. 34
3. Examine how the needs are being satisfied. Needs for the products and
services are referred to as market demand. To satisfy these needs is to supply
the products and services that meet the demands of the market. The term
market refers to whoever will use or buy the product or services, and these
include people or institutions such as other businesses, establishments,
organizations, or government agencies.
There is a very good business opportunity when there is absolute lack of
supply of a pressing market demand.
Businesses or industries in the locality also have needs for goods and
services. Their needs for raw materials, maintenance, and other services such as
selling and distribution are good sources of ideas for business.
4. Examine the available resources around you. Observe what materials or
skills are available in abundance in your area. A business can be started out
of available raw materials by selling them in raw form and by processing and
manufacturing them into finished products. For example, in a copraproducing
town, there will be many coconut husks and shells available as “waste”
products. These can be collected and made into coco rags/doormat and
charcoal bricks; then sold profitably outside the community.
A group of people in your neighborhood may have some special skills that
can be harnessed for business. For example, women in the Mountain Province
possess loom weaving skills that have been passed on from one generation to the
next. Some communities there set up weaving businesses to produce blankets,
decorative items, and various souvenir items for sale to tourists and lowland
communities.
Business ideas can come from your own skills. The work and experience
you may have in agricultural arts, industrial arts, home economics, and ICT classes
will provide you with business opportunities to acquire the needed skills which will
earn for you extra income, should you decide to engage in incomegenerating
activities. With your skills, you may also try on doing things during your spare
time. Many products were invented this way.
5. Read magazines, news articles, and other publications on new products
and techniques or advances in technology. You can pick up new business
ideas from Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Business Magazines, “Go Negosyo”,
KAB materials or Small-Industry Journal. The Internet serves as a library where
you may browse and surf on possible businesses. It will also guide you on how
to put the right product in the right place, at the right price and at the right time.

39. 35
Listings of possible businesses to set up in an area may also be available from
banks or local non-government organizations.
Key Concepts of Selecting a Business Idea
Once you have embarked on identifying the business opportunities, you will
eventually see that there are many possibilities available for you. It is very unlikely
that you will have enough resources to pursue all of them at once. Which one will
you choose?
You have to select the most promising one from among a hundred and one
ideas. It will be good to do this in stages. In the first stage, screen your ideas to
narrow them down to about five choices. In the next stage, trim down the five
choices to two options. In the final stage, choose between the two and decide
which business idea is worth pursuing.
In screening your ideas, examine each one in terms of the following factors:
1. How much capital is needed to put up the business?
2. How big is the demand for the product? Do many people need this product
and will continue to need it for a long time?
3. How is the demand met? Who are processing the products to meet the
need (competition or demand)? How much of the need is now being met
(supply)?
4. Do you have the background and experience needed to run this particular
business?
5. Will the business be legal, not going against any existing or foreseeable
government regulation?
6. Is the business in line with your interest and expertise?
Your answers to these questions will be helpful in screening which ones from
among your many ideas are worth examining further and worth pursuing.

40. 36
Branding
Branding is a marketing practice of creating name, symbol or design that
identifies and differentiates product/service from that of the competitors. It is also
a promise to your customers. It tells them what they can expect from your product/
service and it differentiates your offerings from other competitors. Your brand is
derived from who you are, who you want to be, and who people perceive you to
be.
Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business. An effective
brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.
The features of a good product brand are as follows:
- delivers the message clearly
- confirms your credibility
- connects your target prospects emotionally
- motivates the buyer
- concretizes user loyalty
Here are some simple tips to publicize your brand.
.
• Develop a tagline. Write a meaningful, unforgettable, and easy-to- remember
statement that captures the essence of your brand.
• Design a great logo. Create a logo suitable to your business and consistent
with your tagline and advertise it.
• Write down your brand messaging. Select key messages you want to
communicate about your brand.
• Be true to your brand. Deliver your brand promise.

41. 37
• Be consistent. Be reliable and consistent every time.
In generating a business idea, you should first identify what type of
business issuited to your business idea. You should analyze and scan the potential
environment, study the marketing practices and strategies of your competitors,
analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and the Threats in your
environment to ensure that the products/goods and service you are planning to
offer will be patronized within the easy reach by your target markets/consumers.
Bear in mind these simple rules for successful SWOT analysis.
• Be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of your business when
conducting SWOT analysis.
• SWOT analysis should distinguish between where your business is today, and
where it could be in the future.
• SWOT should always be specific. Avoid any grey areas.
• Always apply SWOT in relation to your competition i.e. better than or worse
than your competition.
• Keep your SWOT short and simple. Avoid complexity and over analysis
• SWOT is subjective.
Process

42. 38
Task 6: SWOT Analysis
Directions: In generating a business idea, environmental scanning is very important.
Utilize the SWOT analysis table below to list all your observations.
Consider the strategies below to select the best business idea.
Strength (S) Weaknesses (W)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Opportunities (O) Threats (T)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Strategize:
• SW – Utilize the strengths to overcome the weakness
• OS - Capitalize on the opportunities to eliminate the weakness
• ST – Maximize on your strengths to eliminate the external threats
• OT – Take advantage of the available opportunities to eliminate the external
threats.
Strategies/Activities:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________

43. 39
Analysis:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
My Best Business Idea:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________
In order to deepen your understanding of the topics previously discussed, you
will be asked to perform the following activities:
Task 7: Extra Readings and Video Viewing
Reading books and watching videos have been considered two of the most
effective educational activities that help learners deepen their understanding of a
certain topic. In this particular circumstance, you will be asked to conduct extra
readings and video viewings on the following topics:
A. Steps in selecting a business idea
B. Criteria of a viable business idea
C. Benefits of a good brand
D. Ways of developing a product
After successfully performing the assigned task, make a narrative report about
this and share it with the class.

44. 40
Task 9: Making my own Logo
Direction: Generate a clear appealing product brand with logo and tagline.
Logo
Taglin

45. 41
GRADE 10 LEARNING MATERIALS K TO 12
CURRICULUM AGRICULTURAL CROP PRODUCTION
NC I (RICE)
Content Standard Performance Standard
The learner demonstrates
understanding of concepts and
principles underlying theories and
actual application in agricultural
crop production
(Rice).
The learner independently
demonstrates common competencies
in agricultural crop production work
(Rice) as prescribed in TESDA
Training
Regulation.
Quarter II

46. 42
Due to the adverse effects of climate change, rice
production here in the Philippines has been threatened
tremendously. The food sufficiency target of the government for the
year 2015 has been stalled. This module will equip you with the
necessary knowledge and skills in rice production and make them
agents of the new technologies to boost rice production. Through
this module, your knowledge, skills, and attitudes will be enhanced
in line with selecting good quality seeds of rice, preparing the land
for planting (irrigated/rainfed) varieties, preparing seedbeds and
sowing of seeds, demonstrating care and management of seedlings,
pulling of seedlings, transplanting of seedlings/direct seeding,
fertilizer application, irrigation and drainage practices, controlling
weeds, controlling pests and diseases, harvesting, threshing, drying
and storage, marketing and keeping of farm records and accounts.
Rice is the staple food of all the Filipinos hence, rice production
is an important industry in the Philippines. It is the backbone of Philippine
economy for it does not only give benefit to rice growers but also to other
industries like rice threshing, warehousing, milling, seed production, and
many others, that offer a lot of job opportunities. Being the prime
commodity, rice leads the growth of the agricultural sector. It is
indispensable to sustainable development. Rice accounts for the majority
of the total value of production in agriculture. This is primarily because
rice is the most preferred commodity of the population. Furthermore,
majority of the people depend on farm labor and ricerelated businesses for
their livelihood.

47. 43
At the end of this module, you must be able to:
1. select the ideal site for planting rice;
2. prepare the land for planting rice (irrigated/rainfed);
3. select good quality seeds;
4. prepare seedbed, sow seeds, and demonstrate care and
management of seedlings;
5. pull and transplant seedlings/practice direct seeding;
6. fertilize the rice plant;
7. perform irrigation and drainage practices;
8. identify weeds and their control methods;
9. control pests and diseases;
10. harvest, thresh, dry, and store rice seeds;
11. market rice seeds and prepare and keep farm records and
accounts.
12. perform routine check-up of tools and equipment;
13. demonstrate manual handling procedures;
14. use personal protective equipment and personal health and
safety requirements;
15. familiarize with common OHS hazards risks and its control.
WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW?
Let us find out how much you already know about rice production. Read
and understand the questions below. Choose the letter of the best answer
and write it on your answer sheet.
1. Which of the following is a digging tool?
A. Bolo
B. Crowbar
C. Shovel
D. Pruning shear
2. Which tool is used for cleaning the levees?
A. Bolo B. Crowbar
Pre

48. 44
C. Mattock
D. Shovel
3. What tool does NOT belong to the group?
A. Bolo
B. Crowbar
C. Mattock
D. Shovel
4. Farm tools are needed in rice production operations because they A.
make work easier.
B. make work faster.
C. save time and effort.
D. make work faster, easier and economical.
5. What PPE should a student wear when he/she is exposed to dust?
He/She should wear
A. eye and respiratory protection.
B. hard cap.
C. hearing protection.
D. safety footwear.
6. The environmental impact of improper disposal of waste and
agricultural chemicals are the following EXCEPT:

49. 45
A. air pollution
B. dirty and ugly surroundings
C. friendly and healthy surroundings
D. water contamination
7. What equipment in rice production is used to draw water from a source?
A. Sprayer
B. Sprinkler
C. Water pail
D. Water pump
8.Why do we need to conduct pre-operative check up of tools,
Implements, and equipment before starting to work?
A. To check if the tools are serviceable
B. To determine the functionality of tools and implements
C. To repair defective tools
D. All of the above
9. Which of the following PPE is used to protect hands from injury?
A. Boots
B. Goggles
C. Gloves
D. Mask
10.Which of the following does not affect rice yield?
A. Climate
B. Location
C. Transportation
D. Soil
11.Water supply is an important factor in rice production because it
directly affects the
A. frequency of planting.
B. photosynthesis activity.
C. physical characteristics of the plant.
D. population of common pests and diseases.
12.The following are attributes of an ideal rice field except A.
good drainage
B. pH range of 6.2 – 7.0.
C. high clay soil
D. high organic matter

50. 46
13.The best implement to level the field is A.
harrow.
B. harvester.
C. rotary tiller.
D. wood plow.
14.To prepare the land for planting upland rice, plowing and harrowing
should be done
A. 1 – 2 times.
B. 2 - 3 times.
C. 3 - 4 times.
D. 4 – 5 times.
15.Which of the following is not a characteristic of a well- prepared land
for planting?
A. Dilapidated dikes
B. Dikes are clean and narrow
C. Well puddled and soft
D. Weeds and stalks are thoroughly incorporated with the soil
16.When is the best time to fix levees?
A. After the first harrowing
B. After the first plowing
C. Before the first plowing
D. Before the second harrowing
17.Which among the following is the recommended time of soaking rice
seeds before sowing?
A. 24 hrs.
B. 29 hrs.
C. 34 hrs.
D. 39 hrs.
18. The ultimate purpose of raising dapog seedlings is to A. economize
.
B. delay transplanting.
C. produce healthy seedlings.
D. raise seedlings even in a restricted area.
19. Which of the following is one of the advantages of using the straight
row planting system?

51. 47
A. It is the cause of overcrowding of plants.
B. It makes hand weeding difficult.
C. It makes mechanical weeding easy.
D. It provides uneven spaces for growing plants.
20. What is the average seeding rate per hectare using the dapog method?
A. 22 kg
B. 33 kg
C. 44 kg
D. 66 kg
21. To speed up the germination of the incubated seeds we need to A.
allow the seeds to dry up.
B. moisten the seeds occasionally by sprinkling.
C. sprinkle the seeds with warm water.
D. re-soak the seeds after 2 days.
22. Which of the following is the recommended seedling rate per hill for
growing rice?
A. 2-3
B. 3-4
C. 4-5
D. 6-7
23. Replanting of missing hills should be done ______ days after planting
to complete the required plant population in a given area.
A. 3-5
B. 5-7
C. 7-9
D. 10-12
24. Which one is the function of nitrogen in plant?
A. Encourages root growth
B. Makes stalks bigger
C. Helps in the production of seeds
D. Stimulates growth of the leaves and stems
25. To reduce application of chemical fertilizer that contains nitrogen,
green manuring could be done. Green manures are A. organic
materials that come from animals. B. leguminous plants that are
plowed under.
C. concentrated form of plant food.

52. 48
D. organic materials that are thoroughly decomposed.
26. What is panicle initiation in rice?
A. The beginning of the reproductive phase
B. Its appearance of the first tiller
C. The caryopsis becoming milky
D. Its appearance of the panicle from the flag leaf sheet
27. Below are ways by which irrigation water is lost except one:
A. evaporation
B. percolation
C. seepage
D. absorption
28. Which is an example of a broadleaf weed?
A. Mutha
B. Kangkong
C. Ubod-ubod
D. Bayakibok
29. When mixing liquid herbicide, remember to A. pour herbicide before
the water.
B. pour herbicide and water at the same time.
C. pour water ahead of herbicide.
D. never pour herbicide ahead of the water.
30. This is the most destructive rice pest which attacks the plant from
seedling stage to maturity .
A. rice stem borer
B. plant hopper
C. rice bug
D. maggot
31. This method of insect control utilizes the natural enemies of insects
to control the pest.
A. Biological
B. Cultural
C. Chemical
D. Physical
32. Which among the following is not needed in cleaning rice grains?
A. 1.5 mm fish net and stirrer

53. 49
B. Canvas and winnowing basket
C. Blower and shifter
D. Sickle and reaper
33. What is the most popular method of drying rice grains?
A. Solar dryer
B. Mechanical dryer
C. Batch dryer
D. Air dryer
34. Which is not a guide in storing rice seeds?
A. Store grains after drying
B. Store fertilizer near pile of rice grains
C. Separate the old from the new harvest when piling
D. Observe good housekeepingbefore storing in the bodega.
35. When a farmer relies on good management practices to prevent
the occurrence of insect pests and diseases in his farm, he is using
the?
A. Genetic control
B. Chemical control
C. Biological control
D. Cultural control

54. 50
LESSON 1
Farm Tools and Equipment
I. INTRODUCTION
The different farm tools and equipment in agronomic crop
work have been profoundly taken up in your lessons last year.
Their proper operations and maintenance were discussed, too.
But for you to be able to perform properly the different rice
production activities, the important tools and equipment to be
used will be discussed in this lesson with emphasis on their
correct operation and maintenance as well as safety precautions
in using them and the protective gears to be used.
The lesson is all about the farm tools and equipment used in rice
production. You will learn this within 12 days.

55. 51
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. identify the different tools and equipment in rice production;
2. describe the specific uses of each tool and equipment;
3. perform the proper care and maintenance of each tool and
equipment;
4. observe safety precautions in the use of farm tools and
equipment.
HAND TOOLS
Hand tools are usually light and are used without the help of animals
or machines. They are being used in performing farm activities which involve
small yet important jobs to be done. Below are some of the examples:
1. Bolo .There are different kinds of bolo
used for different purposes. In crop
production it is used for cutting of
weeds particularly tall shrubs and
grasses .

56. 52
2. Shovel is used in removing trash,
digging loose soil, moving soil from
one place to another, and for
mixing soil media and fertilizers. It
is also used in the repair and
construction of levees and in
irrigation management.
3. Rake is used for cleaning the ground
and leveling the topsoil during
seedbed preparation particularly in
the dry method of seedling
production.
FARM IMPLEMENTS
These are accessories which are being pulled by working animals or
mounted to machineries (hand tractor, tractor) which are usually used in the
preparation of large tract of land. These are usually made of a special kind of
metal.
Examples :
1. Plows. These are farm implements used in rice production operations
either pulled by a working animal or a tractor. The plow is specifically used
for tilling large areas, making furrows and ditches to facilitate irrigation
and drainage.
Plows pulled by working animals are made of either a combination
of metal or wood or pure metal . Due to intensive farm mechanization it is

57. 53
becoming extinct in some regions. They are used to till areas with a
shallower depth than that of the disc plows which are pulled by tractors.
Carabao drawn plow Disc plow drawn by a tractor
2. Harrow. The native wooden harrow is made of wood with a metal tooth
and pulled by a carabao while the disc harrow is a metal mounted to a
tractor. Harrows are used for tilling and pulverizing the soil in upland rice
production where the soil is tilled dry while waiting for the rain or water
supply.
Harrow
3. Rotavator. The rotavator is an implement attached to a tractor used for
land preparation. It could be used for wet and dry land preparation. One
passing of rotavator is equivalent to the combined effect of one plowing
and harrowing in land preparation.

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EQUIPMENT
These are machineries used in farm operations especially in rice
production. They are used in land preparation and in transporting farm inputs
and produce. Using these equipment requires a highly skilled operator .
1. Hand tractor. It is the most useful and convenient equipment of the
farmers. It is used to pull a plow and harrow in preparing a wide area of
land. It is also used to transport other materials from the house to the farm
and a very important equipment in the mobility of most farmers.
2. Four wheel tractor. It is used to pull disc plow disc harrow and rotavator
in preparing much wider area of land. It is also used to draw a trailer to
transport bulk of materials, equipment, farm inputs, and harvest. It is ve ry
useful during harvest and other post harvest activities.
3. Water pump. This equipment is very important to draw irrigation water
from a source such as deep well, rivers and lakes. In some areas where
water is scarce, second cropping of rice could be done using a water pump.
4. Combine harvester .This equipment performs the harvesting and
threshing at the same time. The grains are deposited in its compartment
and could be easily transported to the nearest road when hauling the
harvests.
Hand Tractor Small Tractor Big Four wheel Tractor

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Combine Harvester Rice Thresher
Photos Courtesy of Mr. Efrelito Jay M. Guittap, Faculty, College of Agriculture ,CLSU
LET US REMEMBER
Using the right tools and equipment for the specific farm operation
makes it easier and more economical.
After knowing the farm tools and equipment, continue the lesson in doing
pre-operative check-up of equipment.
Activity#1
Give at least five reasons why it is very important to do pre-operational check-
up of equipment?
Nowadays due to intensive farm mechanization, many types of farm
machineries are being introduced to the Filipino farmers. Before operating
these machines, one needs to read and familiarize the operations manual to
be able to operate them efficiently and attain their maximum usage. For safety
reasons, whenever using these farm machineries, always do the following:
Always Remember to Check Equipment Before Operating
A pre-operational check of all the equipment to be used will assure the
user that it is in a safe operating condition. Check the tires for proper
inflation and defects, windows for visibility, seat position, seat belts, brakes
for adjustment, steering response, rear view mirrors, slow-moving vehicle
emblem, reflectors, and running lights for day or night time operation.
Safety Check: Walk around the tractor, hand tractor, thresher, reaper and
any attached implement checking the area for obstacles that may be

60. 56
under or near the tractor which include stones, boards, children's toys
etc. Make sure there are no bystanders; remember this is a working
area. Check whether the wheelsare free, or stuck in the ground. Check
for any loose
parts or objects on the tractor such as tools on the platforms or around
brakes and other controls.
Inspect around: Walk around the tractor, hand tractor a second time to check
the equipment itself. This time look at the tires for wear and inflation,
the power take-off shaft for shielding and guarding (rotate the shield to
make sure it moves freely), the hitch for proper hitch pin and safety
clip. Pay particular attention to the ground under the tractor for any
signs of liquid leaks such as oil, coolant or fuel.
Check the oil of all engines attached to machineries to be used: Remove the
dipstick, wipe it clean, and check the oil level. If oil is required,
remember to wipe off the filler cap before you remove it to avoid dirt
falling into the engine. Use a clean funnel and clean the top of the oil
can to prevent rust or other foreign objects going in with the oil.
Check the radiator: Slowly remove the red cap and check the liquid level.
Check the air pre-cleaner and air cleaner. Remove and shake out any dirt.
Always check the fuel gauge. Fill if necessary, through it should have been
filled at the end of the last day the tractor was used.
Have a fire extinguisher. Your tractor should have a fire extinguisher in case
of fire during operation or refueling and in area of storage and milling .
Make sure it is charged and easily accessible.
Remember:
Smooth operations of all machines are ensured if periodic
maintenance is done. These can affect performance and your
safety!
Hazardous activities
During the maintenance of agricultural machinery, there are many activities
which are potentially hazardous. Always observe the safety procedures in
doing the maintenance of the equipment and tools.
Hazardous activities Things to be done to ensure safety

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Lubricating If you need to remove the guard to
lubricate the machine, never
lubricate while the machine is in
motion.
Checking hydraulic systems Remember that hydraulic oil is under
high pressure. The external signs
of oil injection may be slight, but
the internal damage is not and
may lead to surgery or
amputation.
If checking for leaks, use
something (eg. a piece of card
run along the hose) to show
where the leak is. Do not use
your hands.
Release the pressure before
working on the system
Sharpening When working on, for example a
forage harvester, only the actual
sharpening should take place with
the machine in motion. All
activities before and after, like.
guard removal, should be done
with the machine stationary, even
if rundown takes a long time.
Beware of flying particles when
sharpening machinery. Use
protective equipment such as
goggles.
Working under machines When working under raised
machines, jacks should be used
and correctly located, and
additional support (eg axle stands)
provided.
When working on hydraulically-
raised equipment (eg. trailers) use
props.

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Never rely on the hydraulics.
Hammering Beware of flying particles. Always
use the appropriate personal
protective equipment. It offers
protection not only against flying
particles, but also from against
many risks.
Cleaning
Be aware of the danger of falling off
or into a machinery, particularly
in
wet or muddy conditions. Make
sure you know how to access
machines safely, especially large
machines such as combines.
Don’t clean with machines
running and with guards
removed.
Blockages Many accidents happen while
cleaning machine blockages –
often because operators attempt
to clear a blockage while the
machine is still powered.
Again, the key question to ask is:
“Have I been trained to do this job
properly?” If the answer is “no”, do
not attempt it.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is designed to protect workers from
serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical,
radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.
Among them are face shields, safety googles, hard hats, and safety shoes.
Protective equipment includes a variety of devices and garments such as
goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, and respirators.

63. 59
Protection from head injuries
Hard hats can protect workers from head impact, penetration injuries,
and high impact injuries such as those caused by falling or flying objects,
fixed objects, or contact with electrical conductors. It also prevents the long
hair from getting caught in machine parts such as belts and chains. Ordinary
hats shall be worn by a farmer whenever working in the farm to protect
himself against ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Protection from leg and foot injury
In addition to foot guards and safety shoes, leggings (e.g., leather or
other appropriate material) can help prevent injuries by protecting workers
from hazards such as falling or rolling objects, sharp objects, wet and slippery
surfaces, molten metals, hot surfaces, and electrical hazards while working
in the farm shop. Pants should be worn to protect the legs from itchy worms
and snake bites when working in the farm.
Protection from eyes and face injury
Besides spectacles and goggles, personal protective equipment such as
special helmets or shields, spectacles with side shields, and face shields can
protect workers from the hazards of flying fragments, large chips, hot
sparks, optical radiation, splashes from molten metals, as well as objects,
particles, sand, dirt, mists, dusts, and glare. Sun glasses should be worn
during harvesting and other post-harvest jobs to protect the eyes.
Protection from hearing injury
Wearing earplugs or earmuffs can help prevent damage to hearing.
Exposure to high noise levels can cause irreversible hearing loss or
impairment as well as physical and psychological stress. Earplugs made from
foam, waxed cotton, or fiberglass wool are self-forming and usually fit well. A
professional should fit your workers individually for molded or preformed
earplugs. Clean earplugs regularly, and replace those that are no longer
functional.
Protection from hand injury
Workers exposed to harmful substances causing skin absorption,
severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, chemical burns, thermal burns,
and harmful extreme temperature will benefit from hand protection. Wear
leather globes while operating some machines; but when handling chemicals
use rubber gloves.
Protection from body injury

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In some cases, workers must shield most of their bodies against
hazards in the workplace, such as exposure to heat and radiation, hot metals,
scalding liquids, body fluids, hazardous materials or waste, and others. In
addition to fire-retardant wool and fire retardant cotton, materials used in
whole-body personal protective equipment, include leather, synthetics,
rubber, and plastic.
Respiratory Protection
Workers must use appropriate respirators to protect against adverse
health effects caused by breathing air contaminated with harmful dusts, fogs,
fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, or vapors. Respirators generally cover
the nose and mouth or the entire face or head and help prevent illness and
injury. A proper fit is essential, for respirators to be effective.
Activity #1
Conduct an interactive activity with the class by forming two
groups, one group will enumerate what farm operations will be
undertaken, and the other group will indicate what farm
tools/equipment to use together with the applicable PPE to wear and
vice-versa. The group with the highest score will be the winner.
Activity #2
Students will be asked to draw from the box containing the names
of farm tools and equipment and explain how and when it will be used
in accomplishing rice production activities.
Activity #3
Get your partner, list two farm equipment and make a research
in the internet on the different parts that need to be maintained, and
the procedure on how to do the maintenance.
Process

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Activity#4
Report to the class your output on Activity#3.
Activity #1
Group yourselves into three, and go to a nearby farm. Observe
how a new farm equipment is used. Make a step by step description of
how each equipment is used, to know how to operate these properly.
Share it with the class.
Activity #2
Using the rice reaper of the nearest farm in the locality, make a report
about the conditions of the parts needed to be maintained. Are they in
the best condition? Why or why not? Share it with class.
Activity#1
You are the farm manager of the San Pedro Apartado Multi-
Purpose Cooperative and tasked to prepare the farm equipment
conditions analysis. Make a list of the equipment; evaluate each
equipment and identify the parts that need maintenance.

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List of equipment Condition Parts that need
maintenance
Activity # 2
Divide the class into groups and with the supervision of the teacher or
the farm technician or the owner of the combine harvester in the nearby farm
in the locality, let each group will conduct pre-operational check-up of the
combine harvester.
The students will be grouped and asked to attach a rotavator to the tractor.
Each group will be rated using a rubric.
Hand tools – tools that are usually light and are used to do minor
operation in the farm.
Farm implements – accessories pulled by animals or mounted to
machines to make the farm operation easier.
Equipment – powered tool machines used in farming operations.
Repair – to restore to good condition and make it functional.

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Prepare – to gather all the needed materials ready for a specific work.
Combustible- any materials that will burn not just by a spark
Flammable- is a material that can easily catch fire under normal
circumstances and with the help of minimal ignition source
Ignition- cause of burning by providing heat or spark
ROPS- Roll Over Protective Structure
MSDS- Material Safety Data Sheet
ATV-All Terrain Vehicle
PTO- Power Take Off
Safety- the physical or environmental conditions of work which
comply with the prescribed Occupational Health Safety
(OHS) standards and which allow the workers to perform
his or her job without or within acceptable exposure to
hazards.
Occupational safety- the practices related to the promotion of
safety in production and work process
Health- a sound state of the body and mind of a worker that
enables him or her to perform normal job.

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LESSON II
SITE SELECTION AND SOIL ANALYSIS
Photo Courtesy of Dr.Pedrito S. Nitural, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU
Introduction
Like any other plant, rice needs an appropriate kind of soil as well as good
location to attain the highest possible yield.
The lesson is all about the factors to consider in site selection for planting rice
and doing soil analysis. You will learn this within twelve days.
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to
1. identify the factors to consider in site selection;
2. select a site appropriate for rice production;
3. collect soil sample and analyze ; and

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4. appreciate the value of selecting a good site for rice production
If given a chance to select a good site for rice production, here are the
important factors to consider to ensure optimum growth and development.
These are soil, climate, and location.
The following are the different factors to be considered in selecting a
good site for rice production, as stated in the Competency-Based Learning
Module (CBLM) for Rice Production:
1. Soil. A rice field should possess the following attributes:
a. high clay content
b. a 2:1 ratio of top clay mineral montmorillionite
c. medium amount of organic matter
d. good drainage
e. top soil 18 – 20 cm deep
f. soil pH range of 6.2 -7.0
2. Climate. Climate change is one of the factors posing challenge to rice
production nowadays. These factors include rainfall, sunlight, wind
velocity, and temperature.
a. Rainfall. In rainfed areas, the start of the rainy season
determines the planting time. This is because the source of
water supply for non-irrigated rice field comes directly from
rainfall. On the other hand too much rainfall causes floods
that submerged the plants. Water directly affects the
photosynthetic activity of the rice plant.
b. Sunlight. It is the foremost source of energy of all plant life.
When water supply is not limited, sunshine is the most
important climatic factor that influences rice yield. Therefore,
site should be free of any barrier to sunlight
c. Temperature. It is a limiting factor in rice production.
However, in the Philippines, temperature is almost constant,
hence, it is not a critical problem.
d. Wind velocity. Gentle wind is beneficial to rice plant because
new air blown around the plant causes replenishment of

70. 66
carbon dioxide. Strong wind such as heavy wind during
typhoon may cause lodging and shattering of rice grain,
reduction of photosynthetic activities and may enhance
growth of bacterial leaf diseases.
3. Location. Farm location greatly affects the profitability of rice
production. The following are some factors to consider:
a. the farm should be near the road to facilitate ease of
transport.
b. there should be available laborers in the different stages of
rice production.
c. good irrigation and drainage.
d. proximity to drying pavement and other post-harvest
facilities.
A good site should have access to farm service road
Soil Sampling and Soil Analysis
The success of rice production starts with knowing the kind of soil where you
are going to plant. The rice plant is nutrient sensitive; its ability to produce
good harvest depends on the nutrients present in the soil. Soil sampling and
analysis are important to determine the pH level and the nutrients present in
the soil. The result of the soil analysis will be the basis of fertilizer application.
Procedures to Follow in Soil Sampling
1. Make a sketch of the area showing sampling areas (SA).Divide the farm
into sampling areas. Each SA should be more or less uniform in
cropping history, past lime and fertilizer treatments, slope, degree of
erosion and soil texture and color.
2. In each SA dig from 5 -10 pits and collect samples corresponding to
the size of the sampling area. Spot sample is taken in the following
manner:
• clear the soil surface area
• using a shovel or spade dig a pit to a depth of 20-30 centimeters

71. 67
• from one vertical side of the pit take a slice of soil 2-3 cm thick with
a single downward thrust of the spade. Using a knife or trowel trim
the slice of soil on both sides to a bar of 3-4 cm width.
• place the thin bar of soil in a pail or any suitable clean container.
• if the subsoil sample is needed, take a bar of soil from the
succeeding 20 to 30 cm soil depth. The subsoil and surface soil
should be placed in separate containers.
Take composite soil samples. After collecting the samples from
the different sampling areas, they will be pulverized and mixed
thoroughly in the container. Place the composite soil sample of about
½ kilogram, in a clean plastic bag. After which, it is now ready for
chemical analysis, using a simple Soil Testing Kit (STK) for qualitative
analysis of soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium or by running
a complete chemical analysis in a soil laboratory. Results of both test
will serve as the basis for the farmers in making recommendation on
the amount of fertilizer materials to be applied to satisfy the nutrient
requirement of the crop.
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Pedrito S. Nitural, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU
• Selecting the appropriate site plays a vital role in the success of rice
production.
• Factors to consider in selecting the site
a. accessibility of the farm to the road
b. availability of good labor supply
c. good irrigation and drainage
d. proximity of threshing and drying pavement
Factors that affect growth and development of the crop

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1. kinds of soil
2. climate
3. location
Soil pH for rice is from 6.2 to 7.0
Activity#1
Select at least four cooperating farmers in the community and
conduct an on-site inspection of their farm. Based on your observation
identify the ideal site. Use the table below and check the spaces if the
factors are met.
Score card in selecting the site
Name of Farmer:_______________
Location:______________________
Directions: Of the four sites visited, write the appropriate rating based on
the scale listed below, considering the adaptability of factors in selecting the
site.
Factors to consider in
selecting the site
Site
A B C D
1. Accessibility
2. Availability of water supply
3. Exposure to sunlight
4. Soil condition
Rating scale: Description
5 – very good
4 – good
3 – fair
2 – poor
Process

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Activity#1
Select four cooperating farmers in the locality, get the data on their
average harvest (number of cavans) for the past three years. Compare and
analyze to see if the differences were affected by the farm location.
Activity#2
Search the internet for videos/film showing pictures of different farm
locations in the country. Compare the data on harvest, if available and arrive
at a conclusion if there are differences or none. Share your findings with the
class.
Each student will identify a farmer/partner. Proceed to his farm location
and together get a soil sample, strictly following the procedure. Perform the soil
analysis to determine the pH value of the soil.
A. Answer the following questions in your quiz notebook. Write only the
letter of the correct answer.

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1. There are three important factors that affect rice yield. Which of
the following is not among the factors?
A. Climate
B. Kind of soil
C. Location
D. Topography
2. Water supply is an important factor in rice production because it
directly affects the
A. frequency of planting.
B. photosynthetic activity of the rice plant.
C. physical characteristics of the rice plant.
D. population of common pests and diseases.
3. An ideal rice field possesses all of the following attributes except:
A. Good drainage
B. High clay content
C. High organic matter
D. pH range of 6.2 – 7.0
4. Rainfall, sunlight, and temperature are referred to as
A. climate.
B. season.
C. weather.
D. all of the above
5. What is the ideal soil pH for rice production?
A. 6.2 – 7.0
B. 6.5 – 8.0
D. 7.0 – 8.0
D. 7.5 – 8.0
B. Describe the appropriate site for planting rice crop.
Soil - is a loose and friable material of the earth surface where plants
grow and develop.

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Climate - is the weather condition of a locality,
Temperature - is the degree of hotness and coldness of the
environment.
pH - is a value used to express the relative acidity or alkalinity of the soil.
LESSON III
PREPARE THE LAND FOR PLANTING RICE
(IRRIGATED/RAINFED)
Photo Courtesy Dr. Pedrito S. Nitural, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU

76. 72
INTRODUCTION
Thorough land preparation is necessary either for rainfed or
irrigated rice production method in order to have bountiful harvest.
This lesson provides the learner with the appropriate land preparation
techniques and strategies. It includes the tools and equipment needed
and the steps in undertaking these activities. You will learn this within
thirteen days.
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. use the appropriate tools and equipment in preparing the land for
planting of rice
2. demonstrate the proper way of plowing and harrowing;
3. prepare and level the land thoroughly; and
4. observe safety precautions in using tools, implements, and
equipment.

77. 73
Prepare the Land for Planting
High yield in rice production could be traced back to land
preparation. Many problems in cultural management practices could
be prevented with well-puddled and well-leveled rice paddies. Aside
from making the soil soft for easy transplanting, a well leveled soil
prevents the emergence of early weeds. It also facilitates mixing of
organic matter such as rice straw, weeds and stubbles with the soil
which promotes decomposition. Proper soil preparation serves to level
the field for uniform distribution of irrigation water, fertilizers and
pesticides. It also aids in the efficient control of some pests like the
golden snail. During dry season planting, it also prevents or minimizes
water seepage from the field thereby resulting to efficient water
management.
If land preparation is not uniform, growth of plant is uneven causing
variations of plant development and stage maturity resulting in
possible decrease in harvest. Land preparation should be started at
least four weeks before transplanting.
Photo Courtesy of Bersamin Agro-Industrial High School
Plowing is the process of breaking up the soil usually 15 cm. deep to
incorporate and cover inorganic matter. It can be accomplished with a

78. 74
power tiller or moldboard plow hitched to a carabao. To prepare the
field for plowing follow these steps:
1. remove from the field anything that may cause injury to the
plowmen and farm animals or damage to the implements.
2. Cut tall grasses and remove stubbles that may interfere with
plowing.
3. In irrigated fields, flood the field 2 – 7 days before plowing to
soften the soil. Keep the surface of the soil covered with water to
prevent the soil from sticking to the plow. Keep the soil flooded
with about one cm depth of water for one week to soften the
clods and allow weeds and stubbles to decompose before
harrowing is done. In rainfed areas, the field is better plowed
while it is dry.
`
Plow under the weeds and stubbles 10 to 15 cm deep, three to
four weeks before transplanting or direct seeding to allow
decomposition and to recycle plant nutrients. If organic materials are
not fully decomposed, soil tends to become acidic and some nutrients
become less available. Draining removes toxic substances, allowing
organic matter to decompose and help the plant produce deeper and
stronger roots. Decomposition is faster in moist soil.
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Pedrito S. Nitural, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU

79. 75
Harrowing . Leveling can best be accomplished by leaving just enough
water in the field, about 2-5 cm to expose the high and low areas.
Harrowing is done 2-3 times depending on the soil condition.
Leveling the field can be done by scraping the mud from high spots
moving it to the low areas. A bamboo pole maybe attached to the base
of the harrow teeth to help in leveling.
To prevent the field from drying and hardening, use enough water. If
possible, wait for 7 to 10 days between two successive harrowings to
allow more weed seeds to germinate before these are turned under the
soil giving more time for plowed fresh organic matter to decompose.
Harrow the field at least twice with one week interval for irrigated
field and at least one day for rainfed field due to limited supply of water.
The first harrowing is done a week after plowing to break the soil clods
and to incorporate the stubbles. This will allow dropped rice seeds during
the previous cropping and weed seeds to germinate. The second
harrowing which is also the first levelling should be done across the
direction of the first harrowing. This further incorporates the volunteer
plants and allowing the remaining dropped seeds and weed seeds to
germinate. These practices help reduce the initial pest host population
and maintain the hardpan which minimizes water seepage.
Photo Courtesy of Bersamin Agro-Industrial High School.
A rotavator drawn by a tractor for easier, faster and safer land
preparation both for wet or dry method.
Rotavating - This method of land preparation is employed with the
use of a rotary tiller or rotavator drawn by a tractor. A rotary tiller
may take the place of a plow and harrow because it changes the soil
into fine tilth having sufficient depth. One or two rounds of rotavation
followed by one harrowing is enough to have a preferably level field.

80. 76
Prepared land can be planted after 2- 3 days. Chopped rice straw and
weeds may be fully decomposed but are already in the process of
decomposition. Decomposition produces too much heat and carbon
dioxide (CO2) which may cause the newly transplanted seedlings to
exhibit slow growth.
Final leveling of the field using a carabao drawn leveler.
Photo Courtesy of Dr. Pedrito S. Nitural, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU
LET US REMEMBER
After the last leveling there should be no higher or lower levels of the
rice paddies.
Cleaning and Repairing Levees of Rice Paddies
Just after plowing, the levees must be repaired to prevent
seepage from the paddy. Look for rat holes, cracks or breaks, and
plaster with mud. Levees that are properly repaired and plastered with
mud are unfavorable to rat infestation, growth of weeds and host
plants or insects. During dry season rice production, a canal at the
middle of the paddies should be constructed to facilitate irrigation.
Photo Courtesy of Efrelito Jay M. Guittap, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU

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The best time to fix the levee is after the first plowing because the
upturned soil near the levees can be used for plastering in the work.
The following are the steps in repairing levees.
1. Clean the levees. Trim the thick portions of both sides of the
levees using a bolo. Patch all rat holes, breaks, and soft spots.
2. Repair the levees by using soil which has been broken up
during the first plowing for patching soft spots and cracks.
Break up and rebuild the portion of the levees containing rat
holes.
3. Patch-up/cover/fill the levee with mud making sure that all
cracks are sealed properly.
4. Dikes must be cleaned to remove pest, compact to prevent
seepage, and maintain at 15 cm high x 20 cm wide to prevent
rat burrowing. Ditches will ensure even water distribution
and drainage.
Fields used solely for year-round rice production must be
allowed to rest or fallow for at least 30 days or more before plowing for
the next cropping season. This will break the life cycle of majority of
the insects.
Rainfed rice fields are often prepared during April and May. Plow field
after the first rain then harrow. Leave it for 7 or more days to allow
weed seeds to germinate, afterwhich the field will be plowed and
harrowed again to kill the emerging weeds. Plowing and harrowing may
be done 2-3 times until the field is ready for transplanting.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
• Lowland rice requires well puddled and well prepared soil. This
ensures a soil surface that is weed-free, soft and leveled to make
transplanting of seedlings/planting of seeds easier. It also
facilitates mixing of organic matter such as rice straw, weeds,
and stubbles with the soil to hasten decomposition. Proper land
preparation is undertaken to level the field, for uniform
distribution of irrigation water, fertilizer, and pesticides. It also
prevents or minimizes water seepage from the field.
• In upland rice culture, plowing should be done across the slope.

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• Observe safety measures in using tools and equipment.
Activity #1
Each student will be asked to visit a certain farm to evaluate if
thorough land preparation has been done. Use the checklist below.
ACTIVITIES
RATING
V Good Good Fair Poor
91–100 81–90 75–80 70-74
1. Cleared the area before
plowing
2. Followed correct procedure in
plowing
3 Harrowed the field well
4.Repaired the levees
5.Observed proper use of
tools/equipment
6. Used PPE
Activity #2
Students will be grouped into five and be assigned to do land
preparation in specific areas. After the job has been done, let each
group evaluate the work of the other group. Take note of the lapses of
each group, and present observations to the class.
Process

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Activity#3
Pretend to be an outstanding farmer who will demonstrate the
proper way of harrowing and leveling rice paddies before planting
using either a carabao drawn harrow or hand tractor. Explain why
paddies should be well-leveled.
A. Write AGREE if the statement is correct and DISAGREE if the
statement is wrong. Write your answers on your quiz notebook.
1. Well-puddled and well-prepared soil for lowland rice varieties
ensures a soil surface that is free from weeds, soft and leveled
to make planting easy.
2. Uneven growth of plants is caused by poor land preparation.
3. Harrowing can be best accomplished by leaving just enough
water in the field to expose the high and low spots.
4. Levees should be covered with mud to render them
unfavorable for rats and insect pests.
5. The land should be plowed and harrowed 4-5 times
alternately.
B. Answer briefly.
1. Describe the steps in preparing the land for irrigated and
rain fed rice planting.

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RESOURCES
1. Bolo
2. Moldboard plow
3. Harrow
4. Draft carabao
5. Shovel
6. Pick mattock
7. Hand tractor
8. Tractor
Tools – simple devices used in the farm such as bolo, digging bar,
and shovel
Equipment – machineries used in the farm such as tractor
Farm implements – devices such as plow and harrow
Levee – dike or bund that surrounds a paddy
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
Puddled soil – a soil surface which was plowed and harrowed
several times, leveled and ready for planting. Seepage –
sideward loss of water
LESSON IV

85. 81
SEED SELECTION
Photo Courtesy of Efrelito Jay M. Guittap, Faculty, College of Agriculture, CLSU
This lesson deals with the principle of selecting good quality seeds to
grow. It includes the characteristics of good seeds, sources of good
seeds, seed testing, and computing the percentage of germination. You
will learn these in thirteen days.
After studying the lesson, you must be able to
1. identify and select good seeds for planting;
2. test the viability of seeds using ragdoll method;
3. compute for the percentage germination; and
4. appreciate the importance of testing seeds before planting;