Plowing increases blood pressure — PhilRice study

The popular Filipino ditty goes: "Planting rice is never fun..."

Now comes a study noting that plowing a ricefield increases a farmer’s blood pressure.

The finding is among the results of a research done by the DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). The research team was composed of Dr. Bernard Tadeo, Elmer Bautista, Jocel Cordero, Paul Ramos, Rodolfo Bermudez, and Hiroyuki Monobe (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

The research focused on the development of a ride-on implement attached to a hand tractor, making land preparation (plowing) easier and efficient and protecting the farmer from hazardous and disease-carrying materials in the field.

The machine is now being manufactured by a machine shop in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, owned by Roman Lugto. More than 20 units of the new device have initially been manufactured and sold, PhilRice told The STAR.

In the study, the researchers also measured the heart rate of the equipment’s operator to determine the physiological stress caused by workload.

The walking operator had a heart rate of 10 pulse beats per minute. His blood pressure increased by more than 10 millimeters mercury (Hg), a unit of measurement of BP.

"This means," the PCARRD-monitored research pointed out, "that a riding operator is less likely to develop heart complications caused by work stress. Moreover, his position was safe because hazards, while walking in deep mud, were avoided."

Operating a hand tractor is tedious. A farmer must walk 20 kilometers to double-disc plow and 24 km to harrow a one-ha ricefield in two days.

"Guiding and turning the rugged hand tractor is even more tedious," PhilRice added.

Aside from this, some ricefields become sources of hazards and diseases like leptospirosis (parasitic infection). This happens when the fields have hard objects such as crushed shells of golden apple snails, undecomposed organic materials, rat urine, and other toxic compounds. – RAF

Feedback

In response to the many queries of our readers for more information on the various items that have been coming out in the section of The STAR, we are publishing herewith several telephone numbers that may be contacted: For the Palwood (lumber made of coconut fronds and midribs) technology, call Noel Beira of the Jose Rizal Memorial State College in Dapitan City, 7101; Tel. No. 065-213-6444; Cell phone No. 09204314343 e-mail [email protected].

For the other technologies you may call the Philippine Council for Agriculture Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) headed by Executive Director Pat Faylon, tel. (049) 536-0014/19/20’4. — Ed