Outstanding peanut introduced in RP

After being successfully tried in Cagayan Valley, a high-yielding variety of peanut bred by an international research center is now being tested in Bicol.

Introduced in the Philippines in 2005, ICGF 86564 was developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The international center is currently headed by Dr. William D. Dar, former Agriculture Acting Secretary.

Known in India as Asha, which means “hope” in the Hindi language, the variety was first tested in the Cagayan Valley for its adaptability and agronomic performance under Philippine conditions.

The trials showed that Asha could yield as much as 2.96 tons per hectare, or 41-77 percent higher pod yield than the farmers’ varieties (BPI Pn 9, UPL Pn 10, and Namnama) in Region 2.

Asha peanut has almost double the size of the local variety, as reported by BAR’s Miko Jazmine J. Mojica. This means that “the Asha peanut variety is commercially viable in the Philippines.”

BAR, headed by Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar, coordinated the project titled “Introduction, Promotion, and Efficient Seed Support System of ICRISAT ‘Asha’ Peanut Variety in Region 2”.

The project was implemented by the DA-Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CVIARC) and Cagayan Valley Lowland and Marine Research Outreach Station (CVLMROS) in collaboration with ICRISAT.

With the encouraging performance of Asha in Cagayan Valley, BAR and ICRISAT shifted the trials to the Bicol Region.

The Research Outreach Station (ROS) in Sorsogon under the supervision of the DA-Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center (BIARC) is now evaluating Asha’s performance in the hope of promoting the commercialization of the peanut HYV in the province.

BAR, through is National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP), is funding the performance evaluation and promotion of Asha in Sorsogon. — Rudy A. Fernandez