LIGAO CITY, ALBAY | July 28, 2022 – FPA – Camarines Sur Provincial Officer (PO) Engr. Christopher M. Nunez discussed the safe handling of pesticides and spray calibration during the Rice Specialists’ Training Course (RSTC) organized by DA-PhilRice last July 20, 2022, at DA-PhilRice Bicol Station, Batang, Ligao City, Albay.

He discussed the basic concepts of agricultural pesticides, including the types, classifications, hazards, risk exposure, and general information on pesticide labels. He also included in his presentation the safe handling during transport and storage, disposal of empty pesticide containers, effective use of agricultural pesticides, and the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and first aid treatment.

The last part of the discussion was the sprayer calibration. Engr. Nunez emphasized the benefits and importance of calibration on the commonly used 16-liter tank capacity knapsack sprayer. Some factors that affect the calibration include the travel speed, spray pressure, swath width, nozzle discharge, and tank capacity.

To conclude the activity, participants were given exercises to assess whether they fully grasped the sprayer calibration principles. The participants calculated the application rate per hectare, number of knapsack loads per ha, spraying duration in a particular region, and pesticide quantity for each tank load.

The RSTC is designed to develop a new generation of rice specialists who are not just technically competent but fully equipped to support the implementation of the RCEF Extension Services Program (RESP) implementation.

A total of twenty-nine (29) participants participated in the training. They were composed of agricultural extension workers (AEWs) and farm school owners from Masbate, Sorsogon, and Albay Provinces. ###