This is Cagayan Valley’s first high-yielding peanut variety that is expected to considerably benefit small farmers in Region 2.
The variety is officially named CV Pn 90320 (CV Pn 1). Locally, it is called "Namnama 1" (Namnama is an Iloko term for hope).
Namnama 1 is an all-season, drought-resistant, and high-yielding variety. It is short and resistant to foliar disease and cutworm insect pest.
In studies done during the past cropping seasons, Namnama 1 outyielded the other varieties tested, chalking up a man yield of 2,337.7 kilograms per hectare during the wet season and 2,485.2 kg/ ha during the dry season. It also performed well in other regions of the country.
Cosnidering that the national average yield of peanut is low (.7-.86 tons/ha), Namnama 1 comes as a fresh hope for peanut growers.
There are various reasons why domestic production of peanut is low.
As noted by the Department of Agriculture-Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DA-CV IARC0, the reasons are farmers’ use of low level technology, poor quality seeds and traditional varieties, use of peanut as intercropt rather than as a primary crop, and peanut is seasonal.
Before Namnama 1 was introduced, as reported by Rita dela Cruz of the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), DA-CVIARC requested germplasm materials from the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in 1996.
ICRISAT, currently headed by former DA Acting Secretary William D. Dar, released 99 breeding lines of peanut varieties. Forty promising varieties were selected and subjected to yield trials in 1997-1999.
The final stage was the National Cooperative Test (NCT) wherein three top-yielding varieties of peanuts were tested. Out of these tests, one high-yielding variety – Namnama 1 – emerged. – Rudy A. Fernandez