By Manny Galvez, The Philippine STAR via SEAMEO SEARCA

This Nueva Ecija City's outstanding farmer, whose palay yield last year came close to the world record, is attempting to eclipse the world feat when he tries to produce more than 400 cavans from his farm here tomorrow.

Award-winning farmer Fernando Gabuyo Jr. attempts to break China's world record of 370 cavans when he harvests 420 cavans from a half-hectare of his 25-hectare farm in Barangay Tondod here. Threshing will be done the following day.

Alfonso Puyat, president of the Philippine Orchard Corp. (Philor) who helped Gabuyo increase his palay yield, said the latter planted SL9, a superior variety developed by SL Agritech.

Puyat said the rice variety has a superb taste.

"The way it looks, we will break 410 cavans," Puyat told The STAR, saying that when dried, 420 cavans would be a lot more than China's 370 cavans, which was recorded in September 2005.

Last week, Puyat said Gabuyo harvested 344 cavans of palay per hectare using the improved SL8 variety.

He said Gabuyo's 25-hectare farm has not yielded less than 312 cavans per hectare on the average.

On April 13 and 14 last year, the 56-year-old Gabuyo yielded 332.5 cavans during harvesting and threshing from a hectare of his then 19-hectare farm, considered the highest palay yield recorded in the country.

Last year's bountiful harvest was attributed to a number of factors, including the use of a hybrid rice variety, additional farming inputs, and a scientific way of rice production.

Gabuyo, a farmer for 34 years, and his wife, Erlinda - who have four children, three of whom are professionals - used the hybrid rice variety, which results from the crossing of two rice plants with superior qualities, giving way to "heterosis" of hybrid vigor.

The young palay seedlings produce long roots and broad leaves, enabling them to take up more nutrients from the soil and thus, produce more grains.

Gabuyo also applied other scientifically tested inputs developed by Puyat, an economist-inventor and researcher.

Puyat said they tried to use three chemicals to produce high yield last year.

This year, he said they added three more chemicals - Tripostate, Boron and Gibbirellic acid - in a bid to break the world record.

He said Tripostate, a phosphorous material, enhances height and leaf development, while Boron increases the fertility of the male pollen.

Gibirellic acid, on the other hand, is applied to make small palay plants grow.

Before Boron was sprayed on the palay, he said 20 to 30 percent of the hybrid variety would not pollinate at two to three inches from the bottom.

"What I did was I conducted research at the library of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and I found out something that could increase the fertility of the male pollen," he said.

Puyat came to know about Gabuyo after reading a newspaper article on the farmer being conferred the Higante Higanteng Ani award for Luzon given by Bayer CropScience in 2004.