The Benguet State University (BSU) has successfully developed a more pest-resistant potato seedling, which is being distributed to farmers to ensure a stable supply of potatoes.
Teresita Masangcay, designated director of the Northern Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center of BSU, said hundreds of farmers have received the seedlings as part of a long-term plan to replace old potato varieties.
“We started to distribute research product clean planting materials since 2016 to replace the more than 20-year-old plants of the farmers that were produced from previous cropping seasons for better yield,” she said.
Masangcay mentioned that many farmers have been using planting materials from previous plants that they have been recycling for about 20 years, making them more susceptible to pests. She said this is the reason for developing clean planting materials.
“We continue to develop the clean planting materials, initially producing them using soil as a substrate, then to IVF (in-vitro fertilization), and now the hydroponics and aeroponics systems,” she said.
With the new technologies of producing the planting materials, the seedlings are more resilient to the blight pest that causes the tubers to “melt” and infect the plants during the rainy season, and to bacterial wilt during the dry months, which causes potatoes to wilt and not produce tubers.
Masangcay said they are also testing their “clean” seedlings to resist potato warts. The research also found that production improved using the aeroponics and hydroponics systems.
Masangcay stated that planting potatoes conventionally produces an average yield of seven tubers, but using aeroponics produces an average yield of 11 to 16 tubers. She added that the newly produced seedlings have been found to increase farmers’ production by 20 to 30% and can be used as a source for seedlings for six to seven cropping seasons.
“We are confident that soon, all the farmers will have their share of the new clean seedlings, especially with the government contracting farmers to help produce the clean planting materials,” she added.
A BSU report shows that ten farmer cooperators from Bakun, Atok, Buguias, and Kabayan municipalities were tapped for the research. Masangcay said research funds from the Department of Agriculture were used to produce tissue-cultured planting materials in 2016.
In 2019, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), under the Niche Center in the Regions (NICER) for Research and Development program, funded a continuing research, which was monitored by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
Masangcay also collaborated with other government agencies to encourage farmers to produce another potato variety. This Igorota variety is required for processed potatoes due to its low water content, though it requires a longer gestation period.
“Farmers opt for the granola variety, which requires only about 80 days, thus giving farmers more cropping seasons. We are trying to convince them to produce the Igorota so that we can supply the needs of the food chain,” she said.
Masangcay stated that while challenges are being experienced, the academe continues to conduct research, with the help of government agencies, to boost food production.
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