Seed body approves 7 new varieties of food, cash crops

Seven new varieties of food and cash crops – three sweet potato and two each for corn and tobacco – have been bred by government and private researchers.

The varieties have been approved for commercial production by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC).

The new sweet potato varieties are NSIC Sp-28 and Sp-29 bred by UP Los Baños and NSIC Sp-30 developed by PhilRootCrops-Leyte State University (LSU) in Baybay, Leyte. They can be grown in all regions of the country.

Sp-28 (UPL Sp-7) yields 11.1 t/ha. The roots mature in 120 days after planting. Its root starch is 21.1 percent, root sugar is 2.06 percent, and is resistant to scab and weevil.

Sp-29 (UPL Sp-9) yields 12 t/ha and matures in 120 days after planting. Its root starch is 21.1 percent and sugar is 3.02 percent.

Suited for both hilly and flat areas, NSIC Sp-30 (LSU light orange) yields 13.42 t/ha. Its root has 19.27 percent starch and 3.47 percent sugar. It has good eating quality and is resistant to scab and moderately resistant to weevil.

The open-pollinated corn varieties – named IES Glutinous No. 4 and IES Cn 5 – were bred by researchers of the Department of Agriculture-Ilagan Experiment Station (DA-IES) in Ilagan, Isabela, led by Severino Tumamang.

IES Glutinous No. 4 can yield 5.3 t/ha while IES Cn 5 can produce 6.3 t/ha, as monitored by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

A one-hectare production gives a net return of P47,548 (grain) and P31,500 (green corn) for IES Glutinous No. 4 and P40,200 for IES Cn 5 with an investment cost of P13,500 to P16,500.

"The merits of these varieties include less fertilizer inputs (four to six bags/ha) and reduced cost of seed materials since farmers can utilize their harvest in the next planting," the researchers pointed out.

Aside from being resistant to stalk rot and corn borer, the varieties mature in 95 to 100 days after planting, so farmers can produce three croppings a year.

The new tobacco varieties have been named NSIC Tc7 (TN 90) and NSIC Tc 8 (KY 160). Both were developed by Lancaster Phils., Inc. in Agoo, La Union.

NSIC Tc 7 has a cured leaf yield of 2.27 t/ha. The first priming is done 55 days after planting. The nicotine content of the lower leaf is 2.9 percent while that of the upper leaf is three percent.

NSIC 8 has a cured leaf yield of 2.1 t/ha with 23 harvestable leaves. The nicotine content of the lower leaf is four percent while that of the upper leaf is 4.29 percent. – Rudy A. Fernandez