Skip to content

Philippines Today

home of the Global Filipino

Menu
  • News Stories
  • Regional News
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • International
Menu

DOST-PCAARD, UPLB develop high-yielding, disease resistant abaca hybrid variety

Posted on December 16, 2013

MANILA, Dec. 16 (PNA) — An abaca hybrid variety which is resistant to viruses and could generate high yield is being developed by researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Banos Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) and the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARD).

The experts were able to do this through altering the genetic composition of the abaca with the gene resistant marker of pacol, a wild variety of banana endemic in the Bicol region, which has been used by plant breeders for hybrid purposes.

“Through the use of gene markers, the selection process for the bunchy-top resistant genes of pacol was significantly reduced,” project leader Dr. Antonio Lalusin of the UPLB-IPB said. “While the conventional breeding takes 10 years or so, we were able to produce resistant abaca in about five years or less using modern genetic technologies,” he added.

The fiber crop is vulnerable to viruses namely abaca bunchy top, abaca mosaic and abaca bract mosaic. The bunchy top is the most injurious among the viruses as it does not only lower the quality of harvested fibers but also hinders the growth of infected abaca which results to no harvest at all.

The project also seeks to increase good quality fiber yield by about 0.2 metric tons per hectare through the use of hybrid abaca plants which is equivalent to an additional 14,488 MT of good quality harvest or roughly P 579.5 million in revenues.

The team of scientists aims to produce 2.5 million hybrid plantlets through tissue culture by 2014. Around one million tissue cultured plantlets in different stages of growth are currently housed in laboratory, greenhouse and field trial stations.

The top ten abaca producing regions, most of them hit badly by typhoon Yolanda, will be given planting materials to revive the industry.

Currently, the local abaca industry holds 85 percent share in the world market, with the Bicol region contributing about 36 percent production.

Abaca, commonly known as Manila hemp, the country’s premier fiber, is commonly used as clothing and footwear materials worldwide because of its incomparable tensile strength. The application of the abaca fiber has been expanded to sophisticated industries such as production of pulp for specialty papers such as currency notes, stencil papers in addition to textiles, handicrafts and is also being used by car manufacturers as automobile composites. (PNA)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Related

News Categories

  • Announcement (34)
  • Business & Economy (1,567)
  • Comment and Opinion (74)
    • Random Thoughts (18)
  • Current Issues (425)
    • Charter Change (1)
    • Election (228)
    • Population (6)
  • International (389)
  • Life In Japan (66)
    • Everything Japan (41)
  • Literary (34)
  • Miscellaneous (610)
  • News Stories (5,312)
  • OFW Corner (297)
  • Others (75)
  • People (408)
  • Press Releases (163)
  • Regional News (3,362)
  • Science and Technology (502)
  • Sports & Entertainment (287)

Latest News

  • BSP keeps policy rates anew December 17, 2015
  • NEDA cuts PHL additional rice import for 2016 by 25% December 17, 2015
  • DA cites serious implications of banning genetically modified products December 17, 2015
  • BBL is not yet dead – Drilon December 17, 2015
  • Comelec recognizes Duterte’s CoC for president December 17, 2015
  • NEDA chief sees 2015 growth at 6% despite typhoons December 17, 2015
  • House of Representatives ratifies bicam report on P3.002-T national budget for 2016 December 17, 2015
  • Cebu-based developer invests PHP430M to build 709 townhouse units in north Cebu town December 17, 2015
  • City gov’t eyes P75-M income from economic enterprise December 17, 2015
  • Baguio City LGU presents traffic plan for holiday season December 17, 2015

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Science and Technology

  • DOST-ICTO targets 500,000 web-based workers from countryside by 2016
  • (Feature) STARBOOKS: A ‘makeover’ for librarians
  • Science, research reduce ‘cocolisap’ hotspot areas in PHL
  • Montejo to further improve PAGASA and empower scientists
  • 1st PPP in biomedical research produces knee replacement system fit for Asians

Press Releases

  • Microsoft to buy Nokia’s mobile devices business for 5.44-B euros
  • New World Bank climate change report should spur SEA and world leaders into action: Greenpeace
  • Save the Philippine Seas before it’s too late — Greenpeace
  • Palanca Awards’ last call for entries
  • Philippines joins the global call for Arctic protection

Comment and Opinion

  • Remembering the dead is a celebration of life
  • Killer earthquake unlikely to hit Panay Island in near future – analyst
  • It’s not just more fun to invest in the Philippines, it is also profitable, says President Aquino
  • How does one differentiate a tamaraw from a carabao?
  • Fun is not just about the place, it is also about the people, says DOT chief

OFW Corner

  • Ebola infection risk low in Croatia
  • Death toll rises to 41, over 100 still missing in landslide in India
  • Asbestos use in construction a labor hazard
  • 500,000 OFWs to benefit POEA on-line transactions — Baldoz
  • 25 distressed OFWs return home from Riyadh
©2025 Philippines Today | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme