More hybrid rice choices for farmers

MANILA, Philippines - Rice farmers now have an additional option of which hybrid varieties to plant with the recent approval of the hybrid line PhilSCAT 3-1 by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) selection board.

The variety will be introduced in the local market with its local name Mestiso 38.

The Mestiso 38 hybrid variety has undergone rigorous multi-location trials in the National Cooperative Tests (NCT) in four seasons (2009 WS-2011 DS).

 The trials, done across seasons, were conducted in Los Baños, Laguna (IRRI); Muñoz, Nueva Ecija (PhilRice-CES); San Mateo, Isabela (PhilRice-Isabela); Aurora, Isabela (BMD); Iguig, Cagayan (DA-CVLMROS); Ubay, Bohol (Bohol APC); Hagonoy, Davao del Sur (USM); Lagao, General Santos (BIOSEED); and Musuan, Bukidnon (CMU).

Results of the varietal evaluation recommends Mestiso 38 as a dry season-specific variety to be planted in irrigated lowland areas particularly in Cagayan, Bohol, Bukidnon, and Nueva Ecija.

It is, however, not recommended for planting in areas with incidence of rice tungro virus (RTV) and sheath blight (ShB).

The variety scored an average yield advantage of 16.1 percent during the DS over the check variety PSB Rc82. It specifically recorded a high yield advantage of 53.6 percent in Cagayan, 35.3 percent in Isabela,27.3 percent in Bohol, and 14.9 percent in Bukidnon over the check varieties PSB Rc82 and Mestiso 7. In Nueva Ecija, it registered a fair yield advantage of 6.9 percent or an average yield of 8 t/ha over PSB Rc82.

 Results further showed that Mestiso 38 is an early maturing variety at 114 days. It is resistant to blast in PhilRice-Midsayap and VSU and with intermediate reaction in PhilRice CES, Isabela, and UPLB; with intermediate resistance to bacterial leaf blight (BLB) in five out of six sites and ShB in UPLB and WESVIARC; resistant to stemborers in PhilRice-Midsayap, Isabela, and UPLB.

The physico-chemical characteristics of Mestiso 38 also prove its being a promising competitor in the market. It has very good milling potentials with long and slender grains. Its cooked and raw forms also exhibit high percentage of acceptability compared to the inbred check variety PSB Rc82.

Dr. Carlos C. Abon, Jr., the project leader of the CLSU-PhilRice Hybrid Rice Collaborative Project said the new hybrid rice line would undergo “seed increase” this DS planting before it is made commercially available in the local market next year.

Mestizo 38, he added, is a very good option for farmers as it exudes the same aroma as the highly popular Mestiso 1.

 Aromatic rice has become a favorite variety in the market among consumers as it stimulates appetite especially when cooked.

Dr. Abon announced that another hybrid line that is hoped to successfully emerge soon from the NCT is the variety PhilSCAT 6-1. He said this variety is more resistant to BLB and would be recommended for planting in both dry and wet seasons.

Three other hybrid lines Mestiso 12, Mestiso 13, and Mestiso 14 were also approved for commercialization by NSIC in 2008.

The parental lines of these varieties were initially introduced in the Philippines through the Phl-China collaborative project Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural technology (PhilSCAT).