By ZAC B. SARIAN
January 22, 2010, 1:47pm
Manila Bulletin

Now that El Niño is here with us, what are the crops that we should plant? Of course, this is an unusual El Niño because in some places there are sporadic light rains. Nevertheless, our weather experts tell us that the El Niño will probably last up to June.
Of course don’t be intimidated into not planting anything at all because of the phenomenon. It should be a challenge for us to be creative whether we are planting just for our own use or for commercial purposes.
Of course we should plant crops that don’t require a lot of water. One of them is Kadios or pigeon pea which is a very hardy plant because it develops a deep root system. There are a number of varieties that were introduced from India. They grow tall and are perennial so they remain productive for a number of years for as long as they are fertilized once in a while. To keep the plants low-growing, they could be topped about a meter above the ground after fruiting.
Another drought-resistant crop is the winged bean or sigarilyas. This is a deep-rooted vine vegetable that develops a deep root system. Its fruits are also very nutritious.
For producers of grains, the best bet in drought-prone areas is grain sorghum or even the sweet sorghum. One place that is producing a lot of this crop is Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. We are also told that interest in this grain crop is gaining ground in southern Mindanao. Allied Botanical Corporation is the distributor of a number of high-yielding grain sorghum varieties.
One strategy during this El Niño season is to plant crops that are harvestable within a short time. Just like several cucumber varieties which are productive in just 35 days from planting. The leafy greens like pechay, upland kangkong, alugbati and others are also drought-resistant.
Another trick is to use mulching for vegetables as well as other crops. In vegetables, the black plastic mulch is becoming popular. If this is not available, rice straw or rice hull may also be used for mulching.
If water is not available in big volume, don’t plant a very big area. Plant only an area which you can conveniently water or irrigate with the available water supply. It is better to have a small but adequately watered vegetable plantation than something that is vast but which can not be properly watered.