1st ‘miracle’ peanut of Ilocandia bred

A highly-yielding peanut variety has been bred by plant scientists of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

Officially named NSIC Pn 12, with MMPn 1 as its common name and Ilocos Pink as its local name, the variety has been approved for commercial planting by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC).

The new variety, reported MMSU legumes research project leader Fernando Segui, is a selection from a number of advance segregating lines from the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) acquired in 1986 by then MMSU president Santiago R. Obien.

The selection was evaluated at the MMSU research farm in Dingras, Ilocos Norte, for six consecutive years until it was included in the 2000-2001 national cooperative tests. It was a consistent top yielder during the six years of evaluation.

MMSU reporter that NSIC Pn 12 yielded 1.69 to 1.74 t/ha. Its wet season yield was 1.3-1.6 t/ha.

The variety’s tolerance to drought makes it suitable for planting under moisture stress conditions. It can be cultivated in the Ilocos Region, as well as in Southern Tagalog; Western Visayas; and Western, Northern, Southern, and Central Mindanao.

Being an all-season variety, it addresses the year-round production of peanut, MMSU averred. – RAF