By Sosimo Ma. Pablico, Ph.D.
The Philippine Agriculture Magazine, February 2005, The Manila Bulletin via SEAMEO SEARCA BIC


Take your pick.

The National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) of the Philippines has again approved the release of eight new rice and 16 new corn varieties for commercial planting, giving farmers wider choice on the varieties they wish to plant. The yield performance of the new varieties was earlier tested in the National Cooperative Trials by their respective Technical Working Groups, which recommended their release as varieties.

The chair of the Rice Varietal Improvement Group (RVIG), Dr. John C. de Leon of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), said the new rice varieties consist of three hybrid and five inbred rice. PhilRice bred four of the new inbred rice varieties, while the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) bred one glutinous rice variety, NSIC Rc13 (Malagkit 1). Private companies bred the hybrids. The new PhilRice varieties are NSIC Rc128 (Mabango 1), NSIC Rc130 (Tubigan 3), NSIC Rc15 (Malagkit 2), and NSIC Rc17 (Malagkit 3). Mabango 1 is the first aromatic rice variety bred by PhilRice. The three new hybrid rice varieties - NSIC Rc124H (Mestizo 4), NSIC Rc126H (Mestizo 5), and NSIC Rc132H (Mestizo 6) - were bred by Bayer Crop Science, Monsanto Philippines and SL Agritech, respectively. These hybrid varieties are recommended only for specific areas.

On the other hand, Dr. Othello B. Capuno of the UP Los Baños College of Agriculture, the chair of the Corn and Sorghum Technical Working Group (CSTWG), said the new corn varieties are: DK 9051, 30B80, NT 8860, DK 979, DK 9132, CW 821, CW 811, CW 801, IES Cn 5, IES Glut 4, Bioseed 9888, Bioseed 9909, DK 3668w, Bioseed 9744, USMARC TX 010, and USMARC TX 012.

Both DK 9051 and IES Glut 4 are recommended for nationwide planting. On the other hand, 30B80, NT 8860, DK 979, DK9132, CW 821, CW 811, CW 801, and IES Cn 5 are recommended for Luzon. DK 979 and DK 9132 are also adapted in Visayas.

Bioseed 9888, Bioseed 9909 and Bioseed 9744 are recommended only for Mindanao, while Bioseed 9744, DK 3668w, USMARC TX 010 and USMARC TX 012 are for Visayas.

All of the new corn varieties can be planted during the dry and wet seasons. Only IES Glut 4 is a white glutinous corn. Likewise, IES Cn 5 and IES Glut 4 are open-pollinated varieties (OPVs), while USMARC TX 010 and USMARC TX 012 are white hybrids. The rest are yellow hybrids.

The seeds of OPVs can be planted again after the first crop as long as farmers maintain their seed purity, while those of hybrids can no longer be planted after one season, as their seed vigor is already diminished. The DK varieties were bred by Monsanto Philippines, NT varieties by Syngenta Philippines, CW varieties by B.M. Domingo, Inc. (CornWorld), Bioseed varieties by Bioseed Research Philippines, IES varieties by the Cagayan Valley Integrated Agricultural Research (CVIARC) of the Department of Agriculture, and USMARC varieties by the University of Southern Mindanao Agriculture Research Center.

New rice varieties

Suited for irrigated lowlands, Mabango 1 produced in performance trials 5,452 to 5,501 kilograms a hectare (kg/ha) for three seasons. Its yield was higher than that of the check variety IR65 by 13.7 percent. It matures in 118 days from seeding. Highly acceptable in cooked and raw forms, it has good milling and rice recoveries. It is resistant to deadheart, which is caused by stemborers during the vegetative stage, and has intermediate resistance to bacterial leaf blight (BLB), sheath blight (ShB), and whiteheads, also caused by stemborers during the reproductive stage.

However, de Leon said Mabango 1 should not be planted in areas affected by tungro, blast, green leafhoppers, yellow stemborers, and brown planthoppers.

NSCI Rc130, or Tubigan 3, was produced through anther culture from the traditional Wagwag variety. It is early maturing - 104 days as direct wet seeded and 108 days as transplanted rice. Its yield performance under both transplanted (4,795 to 5,753 kg/ha) and direct wet seeded (4,615 to 5,333 kg/ha) cultures is fairly acceptable. Under transplanted culture, its yield was higher by 5.3 percent over the check variety PSB Rc28 during the wet season. Tubigan 3 also has intermediate resistance to blast, BLB, green leafhoppers, and whiteheads, and moderate resistance to deadhearts. De Leon said Tubigan 3 should not be planted in tungro hot spot areas. It also requires slow drying for better physical and milling quality.

Malagkit 1 produced 4,480 to 4,764 kg/ha, which is already considered high for a glutinous variety. Its yield was higher by 13.6 percent than the check variety IR65 during the dry season. It matures in 120 days. It has intermediate resistance to BLB, yellow stemborers and white heads. Its milling and head rice recoveries are acceptable. In its cooked form, taste test panels gave it a better preference score and acceptability rating than IR65. However, Malagkit 1 should not be planted in areas with regular incidence of tungro, blast and ShB.

NSIC Rc15, or Malagkit 2, produces high yield, especially during the dry season. For three seasons its yield ranged from 4,910 to 66,665 kg/ha, with an average 5,412 kg/ha. Its yield was higher by 12.3 percent than IR65. It matures in 119 to 126 days. It has a wide spectrum of resistance against diseases and insect pests. It possesses intermediate resistance to blast, BLB, ShB, whiteheads, and yellow stemborers. However, it should not be planted in areas with regular infestation of tungro, green leafhoppers and brown planthoppers.

NSIC Rc17, or Malagkit 3, is suited for irrigated lowlands. Its average yield across seasons was 4,238 kg/ha, which was 7.2 percent higher than IR65. Its average yield during the dry season (6,271 kg/ha) is much higher than during the wet season (2,883 kg/ha), which means that it is more advisable to plant it during the dry season. Its milling and head rice recoveries are good and it is acceptable both in cooked and raw forms. On the average, it matures in 117 days. It has intermediate resistance to blast, BLB, ShB, rice tungro virus, yellow stemborers and whiteheads.

Mestizo 4, or Bigante, produced an average yield of 5,671 kg/ha across seasons and showed consistent yield performance (6,345 to 6,361 kg/ha) in Isabela. It matures in 118 days. Its milling potential is acceptable, but has a high percentage of chalky grains. It obtained a better preference score in the cooked form than the popular variety IR64, Mestizo 1, and PSB Rc18. Its acceptability rating in both raw and cooked forms is also better than these varieties. It is resistant to blast and has intermediate resistance to BLB, ShB, whiteheads and yellow stemborers. However, it should not be planted in areas frequently affected by tungro, green leafhoppers and brown planthoppers.

On the other hand, Mestizo 5, or Magilas, produced 6,231 kg/ha, which matures early in 110 days and is highly acceptable in both cooked and raw forms even as it has a high percentage of chalky grains. It is resistant to blast and has intermediate resistance to BLB, ShB, green leafhoppers, yellow stemborers, and tungro. However, it is highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and should not be planted in areas affected by tungro, whiteheads, and brown planthoppers.

Mestizo 6, or SL 8H, produced an average yield of 5,914 kg/ha, which is comparable with Mestizo 1. It matures in 113 days and has good milling and head rice recoveries. It is also resistant to blast and has intermediate resistance to BLB, ShB, and yellow stemborers. However, it should not be planted in areas with high incidence of tungro.

New corn varieties

DK 9051 (NSIC Cn2004-145) is highly adapted to growing conditions in major and potential corn growing areas in the country. It can be planted at a relatively high population density due to its semi-erect-foliage. In yield performance tests conducted in 18 locations nationwide, DK 9051 produced an average 7.68 t/ha in four seasons. Its highest yield (11.49 t/ha) was obtained at UPLB. It matures early (104 days in the dry season and 102 days in wet season). Its ears are filled very well and its husks can be easily removed during harvesting. Farmers prefer varieties with this trait, as it facilitates easier harvesting. Developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred Philippines, 30B80 (NSIC Cn2004-147) yielded an average 7.91 t/ha in seven locations in Luzon in four seasons and consistently yielded more than 10 t/ha in Ilagan, Isabela. It is a short variety and, therefore, is resistant to stalk lodging in windy areas. It matures in 103 to 105 days.

NT 8860 (NSIC Cn2004-149) yielded an average 8.9 t/ha in nine tests in six locations for two seasons, but it could yield as high as 11 t/ha. It fits well in lowland rice-corn cropping systems. It matures in 102 days during the wet season and 106 days during the dry season.

Recommended for both Luzon and Visayas, DK 979 (NSIC Cn2004-154) yielded an average 8.45 t/ha in Luzon and 7.0 mt/ha in Visayas. Its highest yields were 10.85 t/ha in Ilagan, Isabela, and 10.11 t/ha in Ubay, Bohol. Its yield was higher than DK 818 by 14.44 percent in Luzon and 5.3 percent in Visayas.

DK 979 matures early in 101 days during the wet season and 105 days during the dry season. Its ears are filled very well with high (80 percent) shelling recovery. The ears are also longer than those of DK 818, also produced by Monsanto Philippines.

DK 9132 (NSIC Cn2004-155), also recommended for Visayas, yielded an average 8.53 t/ha in Luzon and 7.28 mt/ha in Visayas. Its highest yields were 11.35 t/ha in Ilagan, and 10.22 t/ha in Ubay. Its yield is higher than DK 818 y 15.6 percent in Luzon and 8.0 percent in Visayas. It matures in 101 days and 105 days during the wet and dry season, respectively. Its ears, which are longer than those of DK 818, are filled very well with a shelling percentage of 79 percent.

CW 821 (NSIC Cn2004-156) yields higher during the dry season provided irrigation water is available. It produced an average 7.55 t/ha in 10 trials in six locations. It is relatively dwarf (137 cm during the dry season) and, hence, adaptable in windy areas. It matures in 101 days during the wet season and 104 days during the dry season.

On the other hand, CW 811 (NSIC Cn2004-157) yielded an average 7.39 t/ha. It can be grown in any season provided water supply is properly managed. Its highest yield was 9.14 t/ha in Batac, Ilocos Norte. It is also relatively dwarf, 133 cm during the dry season and 175 cm during the wet season.

CW 801 (NSIC Cn2004-158) produced an average 7.55 t/ha and its highest yield (8.95 t/ha) was obtained in Ilagan. It is 146 cm at maturity during the dry season and 193 cm during the wet season.

IES Cn 5 (NSIC Cn2004-161) yielded an average 6.30 t/ha and its highest yield (8.83 t/ha) was obtained in Batac. It matures in 105 days in the dry season and 100 days in the wet season. At maturity, it is 128 cm tall during the dry season and 176 cm during the wet season, making it more resistant to lodging than other varieties.

In contrast, IES Glut 4 (NSIC Cn2004-162) yielded an average 5.3 t/ha in 29 tests nationwide on four seasons. Its highest yields were obtained at the Pangasinan State University (9.33 t/ha) in Sta. Maria, Pangasinan. It matures early (98 days in the dry season and 97 days in the wet season) and, therefore, is adapted to short growing seasons.

The USM variety USMARC TX 010 (NSIC Cn2004-159) produced an average 5.08 t/ha. It matures in 102 to 103 days during the dry and wet season, respectively. Its ears have an excellent fill with 80 percent shelling recovery and measure an average 14 centimeters (cm). However, it is relatively tall-200 cm during the dry season and 219 cm during the wet season.

USMARC TX 012 (NSIC Cn2004-160), on the other hand, yielded an average 5.34 t/ha even as its ears are 10 cm long with 74 percent shelling recovery. It matures in 102 to 104 days in the dry and wet season, respectively. At maturity, it is 206 cm tall during the dry season and 215 cm during the wet season.

It is expected that both USMARC TX 010 and USMARCH TX 012 would improve white corn production in Visayas where white corn is a staple food to people in the rural areas.

Bioseed 9888 (NSIC Cn2004-150) yielded an average 7.21 t/ha due to its long ears (18 cm). It matures in 103 and 105 days in the dry and wet season, respectively. However, it is relatively tall - 226 cm during the dry season and 229 cm during the wet season.

Bioseed 9909 (NSIC Cn2004-151) has the highest yield among the Bioseed varieties - 7.27 t/ha - even with a 76 percent shelling recovery. Its ear length is 17 cm. It matures in 100 days in both seasons and stands 203 cm in the dry season and 159 cm in the wet season. Bioseed 9744 (NSIC Cn2004-152) has the lowest yield, 5.15 t/ha, among the yellow hybrids. This is due to its short ears (14 cm) and relatively low shelling recovery (72 percent). However, it is early maturing - 101 days in the dry season and 99 days in the wet season. It is also relatively dwarf - 158 cm in the dry season and 194 cm in the wet season. Thus, it is adaptable to windy areas.

Since farmers are the final arbiters on whether a variety should stay or not, try them now and tell us your experiences on them. Please send your comments to spablico@yahoo.com.