April 27, 2010 8:06 pm
MANILA , April 27 — High-yielding crops like peanut, pigeonpea, and chickpea, developed by the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an advanced international agricultural research institute headquartered in Andhra Pradesh, India, were found to thrive well in Philippine soil.
This was the result of the first year trial of the project titled, “Field Testing of ICRISAT Legume Varieties and Technologies in Selected Regions of the Philippines” funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).
The project tested the crops for their suitability under local conditions and develop appropriate production package of technology ( POT ) and distribute high-yielding seeds to the farmers. Crops were tested on-farm in seven pilot regions, namely: Regions 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
With the introduction of these new crops, the project aims to disseminate suitable technologies that will empower Filipino farmers by providing them higher production and income thereby addressing food inadequacy in the rural areas.
According to Dr. Nicomedes P. Eleazar , director of BAR, “based on the reports submitted, several I CRIS AT varieties introduced in the country for field testing have already shown promising results and have been identified for their potential breeding lines.
” These breeding lines, according to Dr. Eleazar, if found stable in producing high yield in the second yield trials, can already be included in the national screening as test entries this year.
The adaptability yield trial on peanut showed that ICGV 00350 and ICGV 99046 peanut lines were consistent high-yielders among the four ICRISAT entries evaluated. Noticeably, these two promising selections significantly outyielded most of the national and local check varieties (NSIC Pn 11, NSIC Pn 12, NSIC Pn 14, and NSIC Pn 15) in almost all the test stations.
The two promising lines will be considered for further yield and adaptability test on-station and on-farm to obtain more reliable results for inclusion as test entries under National Cooperative Test (NCT) in the Philippines.
In the adaptability trial for pigeonpea, it was found that four genotypes (ICPL 88034, ICPL 88039, ICPL 81 and ICPL 161) bear flowers and developed into pods in all locations where the lines were tested. These genotypes produced a seed yield of 0.87-1.28 t/ha. Although ICP 7035, ICPL 87091, ICPL 87051 and ICPL 87119 did not perform well in the Visayas, these genotypes performed better in Regions 5, 9 and 10.
Results of the adaptability yield trials for chickpea showed very encouraging results and with bright future for chickpea production, particularly in trials conducted in Northern Mindanao .
Initial results revealed similar performance of chickpea with those in Benguet Province and noted that the agro-climatic condition is ideal for chickpea production.
Dr. William D. Dar, director general of ICRISAT is hopeful about this project endeavor with BAR. “We hope that through this project, we will be able to identify breeding lines for peanut, chickpea, and pigeonpea that we could recommend for the national screening test and showcase the technology to our farmers to increase their production and income,” he said. (PNA) V3/pr/eda



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