Outstanding fruit varieties from MMSU

Researchers of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte have identified a number of outstanding fruit varieties that could boost fruit production in the Ilocos Region.

Thus far, the MMSU fruits research team led by Dr. Gliceria Pascua has pushed the registration of one jackfruit variety, a sweet tamarind variety and two new mango varieties in the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC). These are the MMSU-SRO sweet jackfruit, Aglibut sweet tamarind, and the Prima and Corcino mango  varieties.

The two new mango varieties – Prima and Corcino – provide diversity in mango for green, processing and fresh fruits, said Dr. Pascua. They can also be used as mother plants for the improvement of the Carabao  mango.

The MMSU-SRO sweet jackfruit  was named after Dr. Santiago R. Obien, the second president of MMSU, who could very well be considered to have pushed fruits research in this northern university. 

The mother tree is one of the seedling trees at MMSU with outstanding quality of its fresh fruit. With its upright growth habit, it produces 24 fruits per tree annually and, hence, considered a heavy yielder.

Its fruit is medium-sized, weighing 5.5 to 10 kilograms (kg) with an average weight of 8.15 kg. Its yellow orange flesh is very sweet and has smooth and firm texture, moderate juiciness, no fiber and intermediate aroma. On the average, each fruitlet is 16.35 grams. The flesh has an edible portion of 43.26 percent. It has moderate amount of latex.

The Aglibut sweet tamarind  is a clonal seedling planted by the late Prof. Andres Aglibut in the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) in Magalang, Pampanga and MMSU. After his retirement from UPLB where he spent the best years of his life as an agricultural engineering professor and administrator, Aglibut was consultant at the PAC when his nephew, Dr. Fortunato Aglibut Battad, was the president, and later at MMSU. He brought and planted the clonal seedlings in both institutions.

Both PAC and MMSU have been given the go-signal by NSIC to commercialize it. Its fruits are slightly curved with an average weight of 21.04 grams, moderately sweet, moderately juicy, dark brown flesh, and high edible portion. It has a spreading growth habit and can produce an average 45 kg a year at the height of its fruit bearing stage.

Owned by Prima Ragudo Franco, an assistant professor at MMSU, and located in Sinait, Ilocos Sur, the Prima mango variety is a seedling selection, which produces big fruits (736 grams) with yellow orange skin when ripe.

Dr. Pascua said its big fruits and yellow orange skin qualify Prima  mango as one of the parents for the improvement of the Carabao mango. For one thing, this variety is responsive to the application of potassium nitrate for off-season mango production. The 30-year old mother tree is a regular fruit bearer and heavy yielder (750 kg) from April to June.

The beautiful red-skinned Corcino mango variety is owned by Roque Corcino in Piddig, Ilocos Norte. With average weight of 350 grams, its fruits can be eaten as ripe and green mango. Its edible portion is 72 percent when ripe and 68 percent when green. The yellow and crispy flesh when green turns yellow orange, smooth and juicy when ripe with a mild aroma and moderate amount of fiber. — Sosimo Ma. Pablico