Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) conducted methane gas sampling in rice fields in Barangay Alejo Malasig, Vintar, Ilocos Norte on September 15 as part of its 2026 wet-season field experiment on Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in rice cultivation.

The project, titled “Methane Emissions from Rice Cultivation Systems Utilizing Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in Ilocos Norte,” is being undertaken in collaboration with Verde Carbon Capture, Inc., a local subsidiary of Japanese climate technology firm Green Carbon Inc.

The study seeks to determine how AWD, an irrigation technique that periodically allows rice fields to dry before being re-flooded, can improve water-use efficiency while maintaining rice productivity and reducing methane emissions.

MMSU project staff led by Dr. Janet Villamor joined the field activity, with members of the Rotary Club of Laoag Sunshine also providing support.

The project covers 118 hectares in Barangays Alejo Malasig and Parut in Vintar and Barangay Surgui in Paoay. The participating farms serve as learning and demonstration sites where farmer-cooperators can gain practical exposure to field monitoring, data gathering and evidence-based water management.

MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano Jr., an agricultural engineer and ASEAN engineer, personally guided the water monitoring and gas sampling as the team began its wet-season field observations.

The research team also installed additional perforated water-monitoring tubes in Vintar to improve the tracking of water levels in the rice fields.

Throughout the wet season, researchers will monitor water levels, soil and field conditions, crop growth and biomass, and grain yield. Methane emissions will likewise be measured through gas samples collected from designated rice plots.

The data will be used to assess the performance of AWD under local growing conditions, particularly its effects on water management, rice productivity and methane emissions in Ilocos Norte.

MMSU said the study is intended to help bring agricultural research closer to farmers by translating scientific findings into practical climate-smart farming practices.