Large-scale coconut hybrid seedlings production by PCA underway

The last column lamented the misdirected efforts of a clueless bureaucrat in the Department of Agriculture (DA) to abort a decades-long research to develop abaca varieties resistant to the dreaded bunchy-top virus. This disease wiped out abaca plantations in Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and Davao in the 1920s. To date the disease continues to ravage abaca farms in Bicol and Eastern Visayas but finally we are close to providing relief to our poor embattled abaca farmers.

The PCAARD DOST-funded research which is being challenged is a

multi-location trial in nine sites intended to confirm the adaptation and virus disease resistance of the new varieties under different agro-ecological conditions, beyond the UP Los Baños conditions where they were originally bred.

Likewise, being told to desist is a semi-commercial planting of ten hectares in Leyte in a demonstration conducted jointly by Specialty Paper Manufacturing Inc. and Visayas State University to establish the technical and economic feasibility of the new varieties for paper and pulp processing.

Previous to these agronomic trials, the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) and the Philippine Textiles Research Institute (PTRI) have determined that the new varieties are suitable for paper and pulp manufacture, and for fabrication of fancy textiles and yarns.

In fairness to the DA, lest the column leave the reader the impression that the abaca leadership problem is pervasive in the whole Department, following is an account of another agency of the Department making good progress in fulfilling its mandate.

The large-scale replanting with high yielding hybrids is the first major step in the modernization of our coconut industry. The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is leading the way. There are many things which need to be done to make our coconut sector more productive and competitive, and thereby raise incomes and improve the lot of our coconut farmers.

After decades of efforts our plant breeders in the Philippines Coconut Authority (PCA) have developed at least 12 dwarf x tall coconut hybrids which have yield potentials of 4–6 tons copra per hectare per year (compared with the national average of 0.75 ton copra/ ha/year). But not anymore.

The PCA research department led by breeder Ramon Rivera responded and by the end of 2018 the reported accomplishments were 300,000 hybrid nuts produced and 62,000 hybrid seedlings actually planted. The target for 2019 is to produce 800,000 hybrid nuts. With their 22,000 dwarf mother palms in the five PCA farms, at full production PCA by itself conservatively should be able to produce 2.2 million hybrid seedlings every year.

However, these will not be enough. We need to produce at least 10 million hybrids seedlings a year just to replace senile coconut trees. If we produce 10 million hybrids every year, we should be able to replace with high yielding materials our existing over 300 million palms over a thirty year period.

For now the established coconut groves in the PCA experiment stations make possible the initial rapid buildup of coconut hybrid seed production. However in the long run the more costeffective and sustainable approach is by private seed producers. Since climbing coconut trees, emasculation (picking off of the male flowers) and actual dusting of pollen on the stigmas are very labor intensive operations, the more likely economically feasible and fortuitously inclusive business model is by small entrepreneurs tending hybrid seed gardens each with a few hundred trees.

To guarantee the genetic provenance of the hybrids, PCA will provide the farmer cooperators seedlings of the female dwarf parents as well as pollen from certified tall varieties.

This complementary approach has been set into motion in CALABARZON (Region IVA) early 2018 by PCA Deputy OIC Erlene Manohar. It turned out that there had been previous plantings of dwarf parents by some enterprising coconut farmers. To date 70, 10 and 5 hectares of dwarf palms have been identified in Sampaloc, Tagkawayan and Tiaong towns in Quezon, respectively. Individual trees are being tagged for genetic authenticity by PCA breeders. In Sampaloc, Quezon alone 300 such trees have been authenticated and are now being pollinated. There will be 1,000 certified parent trees by the end of 2019.

In addition, there were 24 hectares of new dwarf parents plantings in Los Banos and Cavinti in Laguna and Tiaong, Quezon. Thus from Region IVA alone, to date there are already 109 hectares of dwarf palms for hybrid production. At full bearing these plantings are capable of producing 1.09 million hybrid seedlings per year.

Similar efforts should be launched in the other coconut regions to eventually develop a national network of farmer coconut hybrid seed producers with an aggregate of at least 1,000 hectares of seed gardens to produce 10 million hybrids every year. The seed producers should be strategically spread in the major coconut growing regions to minimize the costs of transporting seedlings and to serve as buffer to calamities like typhoons, drought and pest and disease outbreaks.

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