1st Field Visit for (B)-IRRI-ANI

7 A.M. 

Yes you read that right. 7 A.M is already late from a farmer's perspective but that's the earliest time our bodies can allow us  to go to fields.  What a lame excuse! :)

Rei and I visited plot 826 to see what's going on.  This sign greeted us and brought big smiles to our faces.

Similar to Biryani a popular dish made of rice, chicken, beef, vegetables and spices.

We were surprised to see that our neighboring field already started land preparation.

See the difference?

We have two tasks to do that day.

1. Measure our plots. 

We explored the four corners of our field with a tape measure on our hands. 

We were able to finish our field measurements and it was so much fun. By doing this, we can now  determine how much kilogram of seed is needed for our plot.

2. Plant flowers on the bunds.

We decided to try the concept of ecological engineering. We planted Marigold and Zinnia seeds along the bunds and hopefully before the season ends we see them in full bloom. Marigolds grow within 45 days. Zinnia takes about 4 weeks to grow and these colorful flowers attract butterflies.

A bag  of Zinnia seeds.

Direct seeding is the best method for the two flowers.

We roamed around our field and found a lot of Golden Apple Snail Eggs. 
They look cute (Sorry, I am being subjective since it's color pink) but this should not stop us from eliminating them since they are a great threat to our future crop.

Golden Apple Snail Eggs everywhere.

Snails are active early in the morning. We tried to hand pick some of them especially those near the bunds but they are too many.This issue leads to one of  the objectives of the second visit. ELIMINATE THE SNAILS.

Looking forward to the expert session on snails.